Sacrifices
by Rai-San Fenix
Summary: Right after meteor was destroyed, the Highwind went down and with it, almost everyone in it...Now its one ex-soldier's lost past and 2 suriviors tht must clear his conscience
1. Chapter 1

_It seems that Cloud and his band of fellow warriors have finally put an end to the maniacal Sephiroth, yet the burning horror known as Meteor continued to push toward the Planet. Despite having nearly half of its outer layer destroyed, the fighters' attempts to stop the evil atrocity were futile. Meteor continued to fall closer to Midgar, a growing metropolis that threatened the very life-force of the Planet. It appeared that the end was near until a wave of bright white energy, Holy, swept over the city and halted Meteor's onslaught. With the aid of the Planet in the form of its very own Lifestream, the Meteor was stopped and destroyed._  
_But with great deeds such as these, sacrifices must be made. During their quest to stop Sephiroth from summoning the ghastly comet, a fellow comrade, Aeris Gainsborough, lost her life as she prayed for Holy to come and protect the Planet she loved. It was a horrific loss for Cloud and his team as their enemy's sword, the Masamune, pierced Aeris' soft abdomen, the blade's thirst for blood finally quenched when it tasted that of the Ancient's._  
_But where one story ends, another begins. Unfortunately, this new tale holds nothing but bad tidings for the hero, Cloud Strife._  
_As the massive monstrosity, Meteor, met its demise at the hands of Holy and the Planet, it exploded within a brilliant globe of white light. The resulting shockwave sent the _Highwind_, Cloud's airship, spiraling through the air. When the ship's thrusters died and all power within the vessel expired, time slowed down to a crawl for the _Highwind_'s unfortunate passengers. The aircraft, dark and dim inside, harshly collided with a mountain range that stretched away from Midgar. The steel frame collapsed and the ship shook with rage. The pilots of the _Highwind_ were then tossed off the floor and through the air - into walls, ceilings, railings, and whatever else there was on the bridge for their bodies to fall into._  
_After the collision, the _Highwind_ slid down the rocky face of the mountain until it met the wet marshes below. While the light resulting from the destruction of Meteor began to die down, the airship finally rested within the Midgar Swamps, the heroes inside either senseless or lifeless._

A small grunt echoed throughout the quiet airship, along with creaks and groans from the steel chassis as it buckled under gravity and stress. Cloud Strife, young, blonde, stalwart, was pinned under a pile of heavy steel pipes. He pulled himself out from under the debris, his legs numb and his face bloody. With his bruised back against a dark wall, he rested quietly as he tried to regain his breath. His legs were still numb, probably because of the heavy weight of the pipes on top of them. His face burned with wounds, and he could feel blood trickle down his imperfect countenance. His head rolled backward and it met the wall with a quiet _thump_. He sighed deeply, trying to recollect everything that had happened. He was unsure how much time had passed since Meteor exploded - it could have been five minutes or five hours.  
Startled, Cloud remembered seeing his comrades flying around him as the airship tossed and turned through the air while Meteor met its demise at the hands of the Planet. He struggled to stand, but his legs were still out of order. So instead, he began calling out to his friends, announcing their names loud enough to hear his voice ricochet off the steel walls and back to his ears. He called to Tifa first, then to Barret, following with Cid, Yuffie, Red XIII, Vincent, and Cait Sith.  
No one responded to his cries. So Cloud repeated himself, and he continued yelling the names of his companions, only to find that either no one was there to hear him or no one was alive.  
Defeated, Cloud let his head fall, a long sigh of exasperation escaping through his dry lips. He had been sitting there, cold and alone, for at least ten minutes. Vexed and outraged, Cloud found a railing above his head, almost out of arm's-reach, and hoisted himself up off the ground and onto his feet. He still couldn't feel his legs, but he convinced himself that he could walk out of the mangled wreckage of the Highwind. Upon releasing the railing from his grasp, Cloud fell face-first toward the floor, but his hands went out under him immediately. He caught himself before he could collide with the ground and decided that if he couldn't walk out, he could crawl.  
So he did. Slightly embarrassed, Cloud Strife eventually exited the airship, on his hands and knees no less. He finally arrived at the deck, warm air greeting his roughened face as he crawled onto the wooden floorboards.  
The sun had not risen yet, but he could see a growing aura of yellow light in the horizon and knew that morning was coming.  
Cloud surveyed his surroundings and found himself at the edge of the Midgar Swamps, the reek of fungi and dead monsters filling his lungs as he breathed. He crawled to the side railing and pulled himself to his feet, his weight thrown into the rail to support him. He couldn't spot the dark silhouette of the Midgar Zolom anywhere, and he figured that the crash landing he had accidentally performed with the Highwind had scared off the serpent.  
The young solider released another sigh, and said, "I can't see Midgar from here."  
"There's nothing to see."  
Startled at the familiar voice, Cloud craned his head upward and found Vincent Valentine standing atop the naked skeleton of the Highwind. The ex-Turk was apparently unharmed by the crash, but his clothing was ripped and shredded, his cape half of what it used to be.  
"Vincent!" Cloud cried. "Are you all right?"  
"I've seen better days," the crimson-clad man replied. "But I'm not injured. What about yourself?"  
"I can't feel my legs," Cloud admitted. "But I'm sure I'll be fine."  
Vincent dropped from the apex of the ship and gently descended toward the deck, his boots touching the floorboards behind the ex-SOLDIER.  
"Is anyone else alive?" Vincent asked.  
Cloud shook his head. "I don't know. I couldn't see. I called out to everyone and no one replied."  
"I wasn't sure if that was you or not." Valentine replied. "The impact rendered me deaf for a while. All I could hear was high-pitched ringing. I sat atop the ship as my hearing slowly returned, hoping that someone would come out, but you're the first one I've seen."  
Cloud expected the worst. "What if everyone else is dead?"  
"What if everyone else is alive?"  
Cloud glanced over at his dark comrade, noticing that he was the pessimistic one rather than Vincent.  
"Wait until you can feel your legs. Then we'll head back inside. A small fire spell should spill the truth for us."  
Cloud nodded and turned back toward the immense stretch of green plains in front of him. So many questions were racing through his head:  
_"Is everyone gone?_  
_"Was Midgar destroyed?_  
_"Is Sephiroth dead, too? Is he finally dead?"_

Roughly a half-hour passed by before blood-flow resumed in Cloud's bruised limbs. He was able to stand on his own, but his balance was still off due to his fatigue.  
"They hurt like hell." Cloud muttered.  
"We've been through worse." Vincent replied quietly. "Now let's go inside and see who we can find."  
Apprehensive, but curious, Cloud and Vincent walked back inside the airship. The ex-Turk held out his hand and a large flame burned bright above his fingertips. The steel interior of the Highwind glowed with an aura of orange and red. With Vincent taking the lead, Cloud limped carefully behind his comrade as they moved deeper into the wrecked aircraft. They descended down the rear staircase and stopped to survey the large boiler room. The piping was bent, broken, and destroyed. Spurts of steam sprayed from the cracked pipes, along with bolts and sparks of electricity dancing along the broken machines.  
Vincent sighed, which startled Cloud because the crimson-clad gun-slinger never showed signs of emotion.  
"The Highwind is obviously inoperable." He said.  
Cloud nodded.  
The duo crossed over the catwalk toward the bridge, fire and steam burning below them.  
"If the fire spreads, the ship could explode." Vincent gravely stated. "If anyone is here, we need to get them and get out."  
"Right." Cloud was surprised to find that he was _taking_ orders rather than giving them. "Wait. I thought _I_ was elected leader."  
Vincent paused. "Let's not worry about that now. Who knows if there is anyone else to lead?"  
Cloud grimaced. _"Good to see you back to your usual self."_  
Vincent and Cloud soon entered the ship's bridge. Dark and silent, Vincent burned more energy into his flame. The fire became a bright yellow and the bridge in its entirety soon seemed sprayed with yellow-hued paint.  
As the ship was illuminated, the two warriors were disheartened to find their comrades slain and motionless. Cloud's eyes first found Tifa's slender frame propped up against a wall, her knees bent awkwardly and her head down.  
"Tifa!" he screamed. Cloud tried running to his female companion, but his legs gave way under him, and he fell sharply to the floor. Only meters away from her, he clambered closer to her and found his childhood friend bloodied and broken.  
Tifa's body had obviously been shattered. While the Highwind spun through the air, she must have been thrown straight into the wall, her spine disintegrating on impact. There was a dry stream of crimson leading down from her lip to her chin. Her eyes closed and her body inert, Vincent and Cloud knew that she was gone.  
As was everyone else: Barret had tumbled face-first into the command module, his skull fractured. Cid was found speared by a broken pipe, and Cait Sith's stuffed Moogle was found mangled and destroyed.  
Vincent and Cloud also noticed that Red XIII, Yuffie, and Cait Sith were missing. The two survivors probed around inside the command center for a moment longer before they decided to head back outside.  
It was obvious that Cloud was depressed to find his friends dead, but he still had hope that his other comrades would show up. Vincent, on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered to find his companions slain.  
As they exited the airship, Valentine muttered: "I remember seeing Yuffie run toward the catwalk when Holy appeared. I figured she was just getting airsick again."  
Cloud looked out into the green fields and sighed. "I didn't see her anywhere in there. Either she's out there and alive, or she's somewhere in there and gone."  
Vincent could imagine Yuffie falling off the catwalk as the Highwind corkscrewed through the air. He was certain that she may have been at the bottom of the boiler room, but he couldn't tell for sure. He kept the thought to himself, though, and made a mental note that Yuffie was probably dead, too.  
"As for Nanaki," Vincent started. "I am sure he survived."  
The ex-SOLDIER turned toward his solemn companion and asked, "What makes you so sure?"  
"I'm not," Vincent replied. "I just feel that he is alive."  
Cloud breathed in deeply and shook his head with remorse. "I hope he made it. It would be nice to have a couple of my friends survive if not all of them."  
Vincent understood Cloud's sorrow. "I'm sure he is alive, and I know for a fact that Cait Sith still lives."  
"Oh? And why is that?"  
"He's been in Kalm this whole time."


	2. Chapter 2

Midgar was in ruin. The metropolis that molested the Planet, robbing the earth of its vital Lifestream, was obliterated by the monstrous Meteor and the resulting blast caused by the collision of the burning beast and the force of Holy.  
No life was left in Midgar. The reactors were devastated, and the city itself seemed to have collapsed upon itself. Fires burned within the metal skeleton of the city and stray streams of Mako leaked from within the busted reactors.  
But Midgar was all that was affected physically. Not even a few miles away, the town of Kalm stood as a spectator, unscathed physically, but emotionally scarred by the catastrophe that was Midgar's demise.  
As Meteor crept closer to Midgar, the people of Kalm gazed at the comet's magnificence, but knew in their hearts that the end of the world was coming. Reeve, who was at one time a top-ranking official at Shinra Headquarters, had found shelter in the village only days before Meteor struck the metropolis where he once was employed.  
After Reeve witnessed the reaction between Holy and the Meteor, the former Shinra employee took a much needed nap and awoke the next morning to find the village deserted, the townspeople no doubt having frolicked to Midgar to evaluate the damage.  
Before he did anything else, Reeve picked up his two-way headset and placed it over his head.  
"Cloud?" he said. "Cloud, are you there? Is anyone there? Hello?" He paused to see if anyone would reply, but he was met only by silence.  
"Cloud?" Reeve repeated. "Are you there?"  
Nothing but quiet met the discouraged business man. With a hand at his brow, Reeve waited to see if anyone would come across his puppet, but after ten minutes of empty stillness, Reeve removed the headset and sighed.  
"I should have gone after them last night," he muttered. "Who knows what happened to them now?"  
As Reeve sat at the edge of his bed, contemplating whether he should go look for his missing pals or not, a series of knocks reverberated through the door. Reeve turned toward the door and stood up.  
"Who is it?" he called.  
"You're old buddies," replied a familiar voice.  
Stunned, Reeve paused in mid-stride, then rushed toward the door. He swung it open to find Reno and Rude on the other side.  
"How'd you find me?" Reeve asked.  
Reno pushed through the open doorway and shoved Reeve aside. "He doesn't sound happy to see us."  
Rude entered as well, gently closing the door behind him. The red-haired Turk ambled toward the window at the other end of the room and glanced outside before quickly drawing the blinds.  
"Your Avalanche buddies," Reno started. "Where are they?"  
Reeve's eyes widened. "How'd you know?"  
While Rude took place behind Reeve, Reno stepped toward them, his hands coolly hidden in his pockets.  
"Do you know where they are?" Reno repeated.  
Reeve shook his head. "No idea."  
Reno paused before asking his bald-headed comrade, "You think he's telling the truth, Rude?"  
"I don't know." The tall black man replied. "What do you think?"  
Reno sighed, then found a chair to sit in. "I think this is pointless."  
Reeve faltered.  
"We thought about coming to kill you," Reno said. "But with Rufus gone, the Shinra in pieces and the city we work for in shamblesOe none of this crap matters to us anymore." Reno pulled a cigarette from his breast pocket and lit it, the grey smoke climbing toward the ceiling.  
"What duty are we supposed to uphold?" Reno asked.  
Reeve opened his mouth, but Reno cut him off. "That was a rhetorical question. There's nothing left for us to do here. Rude and I are all that's left."  
"I'm not so sure." Rude said. "Elena and Tseng are missing, but no one said that they are dead."  
Reno flicked the ashes of his cigarette onto the wooden table his elbow rested on and shrugged. "Who needs 'em? The Turks are no more."  
Reeve scratched at his head. "So why did you guys come out here?"  
Reno smiled sheepishly. "We don't know what to do next. We were hoping you would know what we're supposed to do."  
"I don't understand."  
Rude walked out from behind Reeve and studied an odd painting on the wall. "I hate admitting this, but we don't have any direction. With Rufus gone, the Shinra is no more. We are nomads - walking around senselessly with no purpose."  
"So you tracked me down, hoping I would have answers?"  
Reno laughed. "Kinda funny, huh?"  
"It isn't. And no, I don't have any answers. Go bother someone else."  
Rude glanced over his shoulder and Reno took another drag from his cigarette. The three of them sat quietly for a moment before Reno blew another grey cloud of smoke into the air.  
"Do you know if Cloud killed Sephiroth?" Reno asked.  
Reeve, his arms crossed, nodded. "Yeah. He's gone."  
Reno nodded as well. "All the Weapons are gone, too?"  
"Yep."  
The Turk released a quiet sigh. "There's nothing left to fight. No one left to defend. I oughta kick Cloud's ass for running me out of business."


	3. Chapter 3

With the Ultima on Cloud's back and the Death Penalty in Vincent's holster, the two warriors jumped from the Highwind's broken deck and began walking westward toward Midgar.  
Though they had lost nearly all of their comrades, the two men smiled and found humor at the monsters that they encountered. The warriors did not even need to unsheathe their weapons to fight back whatever came their way. They fought all of their opponents bare-handed and without effort.  
After fighting roughly ten fiends, the monsters seemed to have understood that they were no match for the two humans. They quickly retreated and not once bothered Cloud or Vincent again.  
As the two warriors passed by the Chocobo Ranch, they could see the silhouette of Midgar standing in the horizon. They couldn't judge how much of the metropolis was left due to the distance, but it looked as if much of the city was still standing.  
"Should we go to Kalm first," Cloud asked. "Or Midgar?"  
Vincent solemnly replied, "It depends if either of the two are still standing."  
Cloud kept an eye fixed on his comrade for a moment longer, then turned back toward the direction they were heading in.  
"I'd like to go to Midgar to see how much damage has been done, but it might be safest to go to Kalm and stock up on anything we might need."  
"We don't need anything. Unless we run into Sephiroth again, we'll be fine."  
Cloud quietly wished that they wouldn't run into anyone as strong as the silver-haired menace, and also hoped that Vincent was right. "Okay then. We'll check up on Midgar first."  
Vincent replied with a nod. "Don't worry. The Planet is still here. The worst that could happen is that all of Midgar was obliterated - and wouldn't that be more of a good thing?"  
Cloud smiled at the irony. "It's funny seeing you like this, Vincent."  
The crimson-clad man flinched. "Like what?"  
"You're telling me not to worry, that the Planet is still here and everything. You're being optimistic - finally."  
Vincent cleared his throat. "I never purposefully act solemn or despondent. When you're in my situation, there isn't enough to be positive about."  
Cloud gently nodded, but knew that he and Vincent were in the same boat.

Thirty minutes passed before Cloud and Vincent arrived at the outskirts of Midgar. They could see some of the damage done to the city as they were passing by Kalm, but they were still shocked when they entered Midgar and its unusually busy sectors.  
A herd of spectators were running through the ruins of the metropolis, either looking for loved ones that were possibly buried in the wreckage or evaluating the damage done to the city.  
The two men, Strife and Valentine, continued to work their way through the half-destroyed capital, but they ran out of ground to walk on when they approached the heart of the city: Sector 0. The Shinra Headquarters.  
Cloud, Vincent, and a mass of other people, gazed in awe at a deep crater that was beneath them. When Meteor exploded, the resulting blast carved out a hole in the Planet's face that was half of the city's diameter in width. Sector 0 was long gone, along with the Shinra Headquarters and the inner halves of the surrounding sectors.  
"Holy crap." Cloud could barely speak as he gazed at the chasm below him.  
"All we could see were the outer parts of Midgar on the way here," Vincent whispered. "I never expected _this_."  
"No one did," Cloud replied. He glanced at the people around him, studying their terrified faces. There were hundreds of people around him, each of them either stunned senseless or weeping relentlessly. He turned back toward the crater, only imagining how many people were killed the night before.  
Then he remembered his own loved ones. The people he cherished and fought next to were all gone. It was only him and Vincent.  
"Cloud, is that you!"  
The blonde-haired ex-SOLDIER turned around and found a red blur galloping toward him.  
Cloud's eyes widened. "Red Thir_teen?!_" The bulky quadruped slammed into Cloud before he could finish his sentence, the both of them falling to the ground. Nanaki, surprised and overjoyed, began licking Cloud's face furiously.  
Red paused in between his slobbery greetings to say, "Cloud, I didn't think anyone would make it!"  
Cloud couldn't respond. He had slammed his head into the ground and knocked himself out when Nanaki pounced on him.  
Vincent was surprised, too - and grateful that he wasn't in Cloud's position. "Nanaki, I cannot believe you are alive. How did you survive the crash?"  
Red XIII turned to Vincent after backing up off of Cloud's unconscious carcass and sat down. "I don't know how to answer that. I was thrown into a wall on the Highwind when it went spiraling through the air and was knocked out, I guess. The last thing I remember was waking up here in Midgar."  
Vincent cocked an eyebrow. "You ended up _here?_ How?"  
"Well, not _here_ here," Red explained. "When I woke up, I found myself in some church. There's this old, run-down church in Sector 5, I think. When I came to, I was laying in a bed of yellow flowers. I have no clue how I wound up here, or why I was in that church. But I figured if I waited around long enough, someone would come out here to inspect the damage. Sure enough, you and Cloud both made it out here." Red's tone soon became serious and hushed. "Are you all that are left?"  
Vincent nodded. "I was first out, and then Cloud came out not long after. We went back into the Highwind to see it for ourselves if anyone was alive, but... no one was."  
Red lowered his head. "Tifa, too?"  
"Yes."  
Red released a long sigh through his nose. "How did he take it?"  
"He's grief-stricken, I know that. But he seems a little distant. A little reserved."  
"I can't blame him," Nanaki replied. "He's been through quite the ordeal."  
"Haven't we all?"  
Red nodded. "Yes. I suppose we all have had our hard times."

_"...Cloud..."  
"...Understand, Cloud?"  
"Hey, Cloud..."  
"...So, Cloud?"  
"...Hey."_  
"What?"  
_"We're friends, right?"_  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
_"Hey, wanna start a business? Ah, but what could we do?"_  
"Lay around, perhaps?"  
_"That's what you an' me are gonna be."_  
"What are we gonna be?"  
_"...Friends, right?"_  
"Of course."

"Cloud? Hey, Cloud, you wanna get up now?"  
"He's been unconscious for a while now. You don't think you banged his head that bad, do you?"  
"I hope not. Cloud, don't get mad at me when you wake up. We're still friends, right?"  
"...Of course."  
Red and Vincent exhaled quietly, pleased to see that their comrade was finally waking up.  
Cloud pulled himself up off the ground and glanced to his side at Nanaki, then up at Vincent. "What happened? Did I black out or something?"  
"Nanaki was very happy to see you," Vincent started. "He was so pleased that he pounced into you and brought you to the ground. You've been unconscious for almost ten minutes. We were starting to get concerned."  
"Starting to?" Cloud asked. "If I was unconscious for more than two minutes, _I_ would have been concerned already!"  
Vincent glanced over at Red and shrugged.  
"He's fine," the red-furred beast mumbled.

A few minutes later, the three-person team regrouped at the church in the Midgar slums where Red first awoke that day. Cloud and the others were amazed to find the church in near-perfect condition. Granted, the church was already in shambles, but despite the carnage unleashed from the sinful Meteor the night prior, the church was not affected. It was in the same condition as it was when Cloud last saw it many weeks ago.  
"This is amazing," Cloud uttered. "The whole city is a wreck, but the church is still the same as it was the last time I was here."  
"So this is Aeris's church?" Red asked.  
Cloud nodded as he walked to the front doors. "This is where I first met her, so long ago."  
Vincent scanned the face of the crumbling church and wasn't impressed. "This place looks like the rest of the houses surrounding it. It's falling apart."  
"It already was falling apart," Cloud replied. "If Aeris wasn't protecting this place, it would probably be decimated."  
Cloud swung open the doors and was meant with a rush of fresh air, touched with the scent of blooming flowers. His eyes widened as he realized that the small bed of flowers that grew near the church's altar had spread to consume almost the entire parish. There were green vines along the walls and the pews, each of them littered with countless yellow flowers. More plants were sprouting between the cracked floorboards and the once lonely flower bed in the center of the church was overstuffed with yellow flora, the flowers giving off a golden glow that mimicked the light from the sun.  
Cloud reluctantly stepped into the church; Red XIII and Vincent were close behind.  
"Holy shit," Cloud murmured. "This is... unbelievable."  
Red glanced up at his blonde-haired compatriot. "Cloud, if I didn't know it was you standing next to me, I would have figured Barret was here."  
Vincent crossed his arms. "This _is_ amazing. I've never witnessed anything like this. What do you think caused it?"  
Red XIII ventured a theory after a small moment of contemplation: "You think Holy had some sort of... auspicious effect on this area? I mean, the soil underneath this church is nothing like the polluted dirt in other parts of Midgar. It's fertile here."  
Vincent took a few more steps into the church, his narrow eyes studying the vegetation climbing up the church walls. "I don't recall Holy having the ability to fertilize the soil, but maybe it was the Lifestream? Didn't Bugenhagen say that when organisms perish, they go back to the Lifestream to be recycled into another organism? Maybe when all of the Lifestream gathered here in Midgar, it found a fertile spot in this church for itself to be recycled into other organisms."  
Nanaki nodded. "That seems reasonable. So when the Lifestream pulled together here, it found itself a lush spot for it to reprocess itself - but into all of these flowers?"  
Vincent glanced back at Cloud. "That's my theory. What do you think, Cloud?"  
_"Cloud?"  
"So Cloud?"  
"Hey Cloud."_  
Vincent repeated: "Cloud?"  
Cloud Strife turned toward his comrades. "Huh?"  
"What do you think?" Vincent said.  
Cloud shrugged his shoulders and replied: "You guys can have your theories."  
"Cloud, were you paying any attention?" Red asked. "What do you think caused this?"  
"Oh." Cloud turned back toward the flowers and smiled. "Holy may have given birth to these flowers. The Lifestream could have done the same. But this _Aeris's_ church. I think it was her."  
Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Aeris?"  
"This is Aeris's way of telling us she knows. She knows what we've done; she knows that we're here. She's alive - in the Lifestream!"  
Red glanced back toward the flowers. Vincent did the same, but not out of skepticism.  
"We heard the cries of the Planet, remember? It screamed as loud as it could, trying to tell us we were killing it. I don't think the Planet itself was crying, though. I always thought it were the souls of those in the Lifestream. They knew what we were doing to the Planet and they kept trying to warn us, but no one would listen."  
"No one could discern what they were saying," Vincent stated.  
"True," Cloud replied. "But normally, when someone cries out of anguish or despair, you would have to assume that they are in pain. I think Aeris is letting us now that she is still alive..."  
"If not in this plane of reality, then another?" Red queried.  
"Yeah," Cloud nodded. "She's alive, in the Lifestream. She's with Barret and Tifa, my old partners in AVALANCHE, Zack..." After mentioning Zack's name, Cloud froze. His eyes widened and his hands began to shake with anxiety.  
Vincent eyed him worriedly. "Cloud?"  
_"Cloud?"  
"Hey Cloud?"  
"We're friends, right?"  
"Hey Cloud..."_  
"Hey, Cloud!" Nanaki was barking at his spiky-haired companion as loud as he could, but the young soldier was lost staring into space.  
"What's happening now?" Vincent demanded.  
"I don't know!" Red replied. "He just stopped in mid-sentence."

His heart was beating. The rhythmic _rub-dub_ echoed within his cold body, and the pace increased as more thoughts flooded his mind.  
"She was trying to tell me something," Cloud muttered. "That she was alive, in the Lifestream. That she could see us. That also means Tifa and everyone is alive, too. Biggs, Wedge, Jessie... Mom, Zack...  
"Sephiroth."


	4. Chapter 4

"Midgar's a wreck, you know?"  
Reeve glanced back at Reno, who began lighting his third cigarette.  
"There's a huge crater in the center of it." Reno exhaled, a wispy cloud of grey smoke ascending toward the ceiling. "It looks nothing like it used to."  
Rude removed his sunglasses and began cleaning the lenses with his blazer jacket. "Sector 0, the Shinra HQ... it's been obliterated. All of our work, our research, our files..."  
"All the research President Shinra had on the Jenova Project, Mako, Sephiroth, the Ancients... they're all gone."  
Reeve wasn't expressing sympathy. "Who cares? Jenova and Sephiroth are dead, we can't extract Mako anymore, and the last Cetra is dead, too. Your duties died along with Rufus. You aren't Turks anymore."  
Reno glared at Reeve. "No. We're still Turks. Just because Rufus is gone and Midgar's in shambles doesn't mean..."  
Rude placed his sunglasses back on the bridge of his nose. "Reno, I thought we were done. Elena and Tseng are gone, remember? It's just us."  
Reno stood up. "That doesn't mean that we can't go out and find them. That doesn't mean that we can't head out there and find out for ourselves if everything is done with."  
Reeve raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"  
Reno glanced at Reeve and took another drag from his cigarette. "I'm just trying to say that we shouldn't be giving up like this. The Turks can come back, Rude. There are no leaders anymore. Rufus and his old man didn't know how to take control of the Planet, but we have what it takes."  
Reeve scoffed. "You're joking, right?"  
Reno smiled. "Who's going to stand in our way? Rufus is gone, and no one else is alive to take his place. Not Palmer, not Heidegger, Hojo, or even that bitch, Scarlet. The Turks are all that's left!"  
Rude stepped toward his partner. "You really think we could do it?"  
Reno's smile grew. "There's no one that can stand against us. Why not?"  
"You're wrong." Reeve muttered. "There _is_ someone who could stand against you."  
Reno's smile waned, but did not vanish. "Cloud? The super-hero that fought and killed big, bad Sephiroth? Reeve, after what happened last night, he could be dead. If not, he should be weak and powerless. If he killed Jenova and Sephiroth, then the cells in his bloodstream should no longer be beefing up his strength. Remember, there was as much Jenova cells injected in him as there was in Subject Z and Sephiroth himself."  
"Actually," Rude interrupted, "I thought Hojo arranged for _more_ Jenova cells to be injected into Cloud than what was given to Zack and Sephiroth."  
"That may be true," Reno replied. "But it doesn't change the fact that if the host, Jenova, is dead, then the connection with her cells should die as well. Cloud should be powerless."  
Reeve considered this. He knew that due to the Jenova cells in Cloud's body, it made Sephiroth's efforts to acquiring the Black Materia that much easier. Cloud had his fair share of bad tidings due to Jenova, their connection being so intense that it would send Cloud to the floor. He glanced between Reno and Rude and finally mentioned the elephant in the room.  
"But he isn't. Another Jenova form approached him when he was in the North Cave. They killed her, and that was _before_ Cloud went on and killed Sephiroth."  
Reno tossed his cigarette butt to the floor and stomped on it. "So Cloud went on to kill Sephiroth _after_ he killed Jenova?"  
"That contradicts what you said, Reno." Rude scratched at his shoulder. "Cloud couldn't kill Sephiroth if his connection with Jenova was severed."  
Reno asked, "So, what - do you think Jenova is still alive?"  
"Either that, or Cloud always had the strength he needed to fight Sephiroth."  
Reno snickered. "I doubt that. Did you see him at his entrance exams? It took the kid weeks before he could properly fire a rifle."

"So, you guys really think you could become leaders of the Planet? Right now? After everything that has happened?"  
Reno scratched at his nose. "Why so skeptical? You don't think we could do it?"  
"Why?" Reeve persisted. "There's nothing left for you to take control of. The people are in disarray and there's nothing left for the Turks to take!"  
"The people are confused and need a leader, Reeve. Why not trust the Turks? We _did_ work with President Rufus, after all. Who better to take control than us?"  
Reeve knew he couldn't convince Reno otherwise. "...You really think so?'  
Reno flashed another wide smile. "Until we find Tseng, I'm the new leader of the Turks. Rude, you're my main man."  
"...O-K." Rude reluctantly answered.  
"And as for you, Reeve, how about it? Why not become a Turk? This will be your only chance to ascend the ranks."  
Reeve blinked. "Why would you want me?"  
"You were with Shinra, remember? You're right up there with us Turks. You know how this stuff works. You were as close to it as we were. You're obviously qualified enough, so why not?"  
Reeve glanced in between Reno and Rude. "Before I do anything, what's your first assignment?"  
Reno cocked an eyebrow. "Our what?"  
Reeve turned back to Reno. "As the new leaders of the Planet, what are you going to do first?"  
Reno stared at Reeve for a moment before he started chuckling. "You see, this is why we need _you_! You're the one that'll come up with all of the ideas! What do _you_ have in mind?"  
Reeve smiled. "I wanted to head up to the North Cave and do some investigating. I was wondering if there was anything left of Jenova or Sephiroth. You know, maybe some clue to show us if they're really dead or not."  
"Brilliant!" Reno clapped his hands together and began walking toward the door. "We have a truck outside. We can take that over to Junon. There's a helicopter that we could use to climb to the north and find those answers! C'mon Rude, we're headin' north!"  
As Reeve stood to follow his red-haired companion, Rude barked, "Reno!"  
Reno and Reeve both turned around. "What?"  
"What makes you think Reeve isn't going to take us up there just to kill us? He could be lying out his ass right now just so he could get rid of us two."  
Reno smiled condescendingly. "I highly doubt _that_, Rude. C'mon, you worry too much. This sounds legit to me, don't it to you? Don't you wanna see if there's anything left of Sephiroth or Jenova up there?"  
"And what if there is? We'll have to fight them, and we'll undoubtedly lose!"  
Reno sighed through his nose. "You know, I never thought about that. What if something _is_ up there, like another Weapon or something?"  
Reeve didn't reply.  
"Well," Reno continued. "We can't really go anywhere unless we're properly armed."  
Reeve spoke up. "But then again, we'll be in a helicopter. If the Weapons didn't attack the Highwind, I doubt they'd attack us."  
Reeve knew he was lying. The Ultimate Weapon attacked his old friends in the airship more than half a dozen times. _"But what the Turks don't know might hurt them."_  
Reno took the bait. "Good point. But to play it on the safe side, let's take a Gelnika. _Those_ things are built for battle."  
Rude sighed. "That does sound a little better than a cramped helicopter."  
"And hell, while we're in Junon, let's stock up on as many guns as we can carry. Like you said Rude, we'll have to fight whatever we run into up there."


	5. Chapter 5

Cloud, Nanaki, and Vincent left Aeris' church and ventured to the small playground just outside the crumbling remains of Sector 7. Surprisingly, the park looked unscathed by Meteor. It looked much the same as it did when Cloud last saw it, back when the Shinra had kidnapped Aeris and Cloud's journey was just beginning. Cloud took a seat atop a slide, Red XIII was balled up next to a sandbox, and Vincent was standing with his back against a tetherball pole.  
"Are you sure you know what you're talking about?" Vincent had asked during the walk from the church.  
"Positive," Cloud replied. "Think about it: flowers could barely thrive in Midgar as it was, but now you've got flowers covering the whole inside of that church. It's gotta be a sign from Aeris that she's aware of our presence... that she knows what we've done and she can actually communicate with us."  
Red was skeptical, too. "Why not just draw a message in the dirt for us, letting us know that Sephiroth is running rampant in the Lifestream?"  
"Maybe she can't," Cloud replied. "Maybe Sephiroth is berserk down there and he's restraining everyone from doing anything."  
Vincent, obviously, wasn't buying it. "Seriously Cloud, you must have lost it when Red pounced on you. We killed Sephiroth - well, you did. But he's dead, remember?"  
Cloud shook his head, the image of Sephiroth's irritating smile still fresh in his mind. "He smiled at me. Before he died, before the Lifestream absorbed him, he looked at me and smiled." He paused. "I think Sephiroth knew that he would have won either way. Remember, Sephiroth's goal was to injure the Planet so its Lifestream would gather in the area of its wound to heal. Sephiroth wanted to be in the center of that wound so he could take that Lifestream and become one with it. I don't know how he planned on assimilating with the Lifestream, but I can't doubt that he would find a way."  
"But he's there anyway?" Vincent asked.  
"Yes. Remember what Bugenhagen said? That everything that dies passes through the Lifestream, then becomes something new? What if someone had the power to take control of that flow?"  
"The world would fall apart," Red answered.  
"Yeah, it would. Sephiroth is powerful enough to decide whether he is recycled or not. All he wanted was to be a part of the Lifestream so he could control it. We killed him and sent him there ourselves."  
Red barked, "So you're saying we helped him become the god he wanted to be?!"  
Cloud stopped walking once they approached the playground and muttered, "It's difficult to admit, but we played right into it. We thought we could kill him for good, but he knew that one way or another, he would go to the Lifestream. We sent him there and now it's just a matter of time before he starts controlling the very flow of the Planet's life."  
"But couldn't the Planet do something?!" Red yelled. "Couldn't it reject him?"  
Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, honestly. The Planet could try to spit Sephiroth out, but that would involve killing a part of itself, and even then, it all depends on the amount of strength Sephiroth has. If Sephiroth could direct the flow of the Lifestream, then I'm guessing that the Planet is at _his_ mercy."  
At this point, they had reached the playground. Red groaned that he was tired and vouched to take a small nap. Vincent agreed that he was stressed out and needed a small break as well. Cloud watched his two remaining comrades walk to two separate parts of the playground before he took a familiar seat atop a tall slide.

"I don't know what to do," Cloud muttered. With his arms wrapped around his legs, his knees brought up to his chin, he prayed to Aeris.  
"I need your help," he pleaded. "I don't know what I can do, what I'm supposed to do. Am I right? Am I wrong? Tell me something... please?"  
Cloud's head dropped and a small lump in his throat began to form. "What is happening to you? What are you trying to tell us?"  
"Cloud!" Nanaki barked.  
The blonde-haired warrior glanced up.  
"Look! L-Look!"  
Cloud looked at Red, then glimpsed back to where he and his friends had walked in from. Limping toward them was a woman with long brown hair and a curvy frame. She was practically naked; her clothes shredded and her body mostly uncovered.  
Cloud's eyes widened. He jumped down from the slide, his eyes still fixated on the nude woman.  
She continued to hobble toward them, and as she grew closer, the three warriors noticed that not only was she naked, she was covered in blood. Streams of red tattooed her arms and legs and her flat stomach.  
"She looks horrible." Vincent muttered. "What happened to her?"  
"I can't even tell who she is..." Red whispered.  
Cloud's legs were already quivering, but he could barely hold his balance as the woman inched closer.  
"It's Tifa."  
Vincent and Nanaki lost their breath as the woman's face became clear: it was Tifa staggering toward them.  
Cloud was already sprinting toward her. "Tifa!" he screamed. "Oh my God, Tifa!"  
Tifa, nude and violated, was within arm's reach of Cloud before she disintegrated into a cloud of bright green. Cloud slid to a stop as his childhood friend's slender body became nothing more than a bright green mist.  
As tears started streaming down Cloud's worn countenance, the green haze had vanished and there was nothing left.  
Breathless and traumatized, Cloud felt his knees beginning to give way, but the barks of Red XIII revitalized Cloud's dazed consciousness.  
"Cloud!" Nanaki screamed. "Cloud!"  
Quickly pivoting on his heels, Cloud Strife turned around and found a tall man only yards away from his comrades. With long silver hair and familiar black pants, the man floated inches above the ground, his back to Cloud and his makeshift team.  
Cloud allowed a brief second to lose his breath, and then sprinted back up the slide where he drew his sword and stood ready. Vincent pulled his rifle out of its holster and held it at the ready as Red took stance beside the crimson-clad vampire, his teeth bared.  
Cloud shouted at the top of his lungs, "Sephiroth!" and leapt from the crown of the slide to the ground. With the Ultima in his gloved hands, Strife charged toward his silver-haired foe and brought the sword up to swing, but his body froze before he could attack. Green sparks of lightning danced between Cloud and Sephiroth before Cloud's body was propelled into the air.  
Vincent and Nanaki could only watch as Cloud soared through the air. He slammed into the ground, the earth beneath his body collapsing and forming a crater as he ricocheted off the dirt and rolled into a pile of wreckage.  
Vincent glanced between Sephiroth and Cloud and chose to chase after his comrade while Red sprinted toward the katana-wielding demon. With his jaws open, Red bounded toward Sephiroth in a blur. With precise timing, Sephiroth finally turned and raised his arm. Red's fangs clamped hard on Sephiroth's forearm, but blood refused to spill.  
With Red locked onto his arm, Sephiroth dropped his Masamune and grabbed the red beast by his mane.  
"Bastard!" Red squealed as he was pulled from Sephiroth's arm and hurled straight into the air. While Nanaki was hanging helplessly above his confused comrades, a gauntlet of fire formed around Sephiroth's wrist. With a simple flick of his hand, a gigantic ball of fire rocketed toward Red and exploded on impact. As Vincent tried digging Cloud out from the wreckage he was thrown into, Red's helpless body plummeted into the sandbox he was resting in earlier. Bursting into shards of wood and clouds of sand, the sandbox was in pieces as Red's broken body lay unconscious within its mess.  
"Cloud! Come on, are you all right?!" As Vincent raked through the debris Cloud had rolled into, he felt Sephiroth's sinister eyes fall upon him. Reluctantly turning around, Vincent found Sephiroth coolly strolling toward him, his eyes glowing bright blue. Feeling a fear that he had not felt since losing Lucrecia, Vincent turned back around and continued trying to dig Cloud out from the rubble he was under. As Sephiroth inched closer, Vincent felt the uneasiness in his stomach rising and at the same time, he sensed something else. A familiar signal of energy - and it was quickly rising.  
As quick as an instant, Vincent found a bright orange light erupt underneath him. His eyes wide, he jumped from atop the pile of remains and as he landed, the debris behind him exploded in a brilliant flash. As each fragment of rubble rose toward the plate above them, Cloud was standing within the light, a strong orange aura burning around his feet.  
Sephiroth was now standing still, his gaze fixed on Cloud.  
Cloud clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "You just don't wanna give up, do you?"  
Vincent could only watch helplessly as Cloud lifted his heavy sword from the ground. "He's back." Vincent muttered to himself. "Come on. He's right there. Get angry. You must get angry, too!"  
The aura encircling Cloud's legs burned red as he charged toward Sephiroth. With a wide swing of his sword, Cloud narrowly missed cutting Sephiroth into two, but the silver-haired soldier spun out of the way and planted a strong kick into Cloud's abdomen, which sent the blonde-haired warrior flailing backwards. Cloud quickly flipped over and slid to a stop before he rushed forward once again. As Cloud swung the Ultima again towards Sephiroth's smirk, the silver-haired menace raised his katana and accepted the blow with ease. With both soldiers at stand-still, the dust that had kicked up around their feet had only a second to settle before Cloud shoved his opponent away and swung at him again. But Sephiroth's Masamune was up and the blades collided with a loud bellow.  
As the two fighters exchanged swings, Vincent tried to rouse Nanaki from unconsciousness. Red was too far along to be cured with a potion, so Vincent tried a revival spell. After casting the small enchantment, a cough escaped the beast's throat. With another cough, Red opened his eye and glanced up at Vincent.  
"Please tell me it's over," Nanaki begged.  
Vincent glanced toward Cloud and Sephiroth as they fought and sighed. "I don't understand it. I thought we killed him."  
"We did." Red tried standing, but Vincent ordered him to sit until he could fish out a curative materia orb. "I saw what he really is. He's not a human. He isn't solid. He's some kind of... mirage."  
"A mirage couldn't do to us what it has," Vincent retorted as he placed the green orb into his rifle.  
"I don't know how, but I think Sephiroth left the Lifestream. He's crossed over to deal with us."  
Vincent hesitated, his rifle cocked. "He left the Lifestream? Why?"  
"I don't know," Red muttered. "I can't understand. It's not like we could bother him. We can't cross over there, could we?"  
Vincent held his gun toward Nanaki and summoned the quick cure spell as he spoke: "Unless we die, we're stuck on this side of the fence."  
Red stood up when the spell finished and thanked Vincent for his help. "But what can we do now? Cloud is fighting him now and I don't think he'll let us get in the way."  
Vincent glanced down at Red. "What was Tifa doing strolling in here?"  
As Cloud and Sephiroth exchanged blows, Nanaki rested on his hind legs and replied, "I don't understand that, either. Didn't she die in the crash?"  
Vincent nodded. "She was the first we found when Cloud and I went back into the ship. She was dead. There is no way she could have exited the ship and dragged herself all the way out here just to die and fade away." Puzzled, Vincent crossed his arms. "I just don't get any of this."

Cloud pulled his sword around and tried swinging at Sephiroth's legs, but as if he were anticipating such a move, the silver-haired man back-flipped out of harm's way.  
His breathing labored, Cloud finished his swing by dragging the Ultima across the ground. The orange glow had already died and Cloud's hair was dripping with sweat.  
"I just can't get him," Cloud stuttered. "He moves too fast."  
Having nimbly landed his somersault, Sephiroth stood erect, his sneer still plastered on his face.  
"I'm getting sick of your smile," Cloud grumbled.  
"...I think I've made my point."  
Cloud quickly looked up at his adversary and chuckled. "So you finally speak?"  
Sephiroth's smirk soon turned into a scowl. "Your interference is both commendable and trying. Stop while you still have your life, or I _will_ kill you."  
Cloud shouted: "_We_ have already killed _you_, Sephiroth! Your threats are empty and harmless!"  
Sephiroth's sour grimace changed back into a smile. "On the contrary, my 'death' has lifted me to a new plateau. I see so much more power now...  
"You see," the black-clad man continued. "When one dies, they return to the Lifestream to be used again. You all are much smarter than I had thought. You've already figured some of this out, but it doesn't end there..." Sephiroth paused before he started laughing uncontrollably.  
"Actually," he chuckled. "It _does_ end there. You all were more than correct when you speculated my existence within the Lifestream, but you do not fully understand my new-found abilities. I am so powerful that I can choose what life can be recycled into new life and what life can be completely destroyed!"  
"Impossible!" Red barked.  
"No," Sephiroth replied. "It _is_ possible. Your once deceased companion came limping in here only moments ago, right? She then dissipated into a cloud of green, her body vanishing before your eyes, yes?"  
Cloud gently nodded.  
Sephiroth's smile stretched as far as it could. "Tifa was in the Lifestream, ready to be used for a new form of life, but I wouldn't allow it. If I am going to kill all of you, then I am going to _kill all of you..._ even if that means removing you from the Planet altogether!"  
"No, you didn't!" Cloud shouted. "You couldn't have! There's no way!"  
"There is," Sephiroth admitted. "Tifa is gone. Every shred of her, every piece, down to the smallest bit, has been erased. She's gone for the good. The Planet will never have her back."  
"But you're interfering with the natural order!" Nanaki screamed. "If more things die and fewer things are being re-used, then life on the Planet will eventually reach zero!"  
Sephiroth cackled. "Precisely."  
"You son of a bitch!" Cloud hoisted his blade onto his shoulder and charged toward his foe. "Sephiroth, I've stopped you once, I can stop you again!"  
The distance between Cloud and Sephiroth quickly waned before an immense wall of fire erupted between them. Cloud slid to a stop as the flames jumped toward the sky.  
"Sephiroth, you bastard! Fight me!"  
Cloud could faintly see his adversary standing behind the blaze, but the tall figure faded within the orange light of the fire and eventually, the conflagration dimmed as well.  
"Sephiroth." Cloud gritted his teeth. "Sephiroth!"  
Vincent and Nanaki only watched as their companion sheathed his sword and tightened his fists with rage.


	6. Chapter 6

"For God's sake, Reno, you think you have enough guns?"  
Reno, Reeve and Rude had gathered themselves into a Gelnika airliner and were already airborne. They ventured to Junon without incident and loaded the plane with all sorts of artillery before they took off toward the North Cave. Reno was garbed with a bullet-proof vest and belts of machine gun ammunition crossed over his chest.  
"You could take someone like Sephiroth with that amount of firepower," Reeve exaggerated. "Geez, you... you know you're weighing down the plane with all those guns?!"  
"You think he cares?" Rude asked. "Let the kid play with his toys. It'll be okay."  
"I'm not a kid, Rude!" Reno hollered back from the cockpit where he was piloting the aircraft. "As you can see, I have _your_ lives in my hands as we speak! And no kid could handle that amount of responsibility!"  
"Either one of us could be flying this thing right now," Reeve replied. "You were the one who wanted to fly it because..." Reeve then started speaking in a deep, mocking tone: "_You're the leader, you're the boss._"  
"Damn straight!" Reno said. "I'm the boss and you two... do what I tell you and shut the hell up!"  
Reeve sighed and Rude sat quietly across from him.

As the Gelnika soared through the cloudy skies, the three men sat amidst their own silence for quite some time before Reeve asked, "What if we run into Cloud, or any of his friends?"  
Reno replied, "What about it?"  
Reeve stood and walked into the cockpit, taking a seat in the co-pilot's chair. "If we happen to run into Cloud or any of his friends, what are you going to do?"  
Reno shrugged, his gaze not shifting from the expansive blue ocean that stretched on before him. "So what? If we run into them and they wanna fight, then we'll fight."  
"If _they_ want to?"  
"Well yeah," Reno began. "I don't think we need to fight them. The point to fighting them before was to protect Rufus, but now, there's really no one left to protect. Like you said earlier, Rufus and Midgar are memories now. But unless they wanted to fight for some... oddball reason, I don't see a reason why we should."  
Reeve nodded, genuinely satisfied. "I'm glad you see it that way."  
"But that's up until we find Tseng and Elena. Then, we are all gonna come together and pull the Planet back out of the shit-hole it was thrown into because of Sephiroth and his dumb ass. We're Turks, Reeve. This place is ours."  
"Okay," Reeve replied. "So there's gonna be a reason to fighting Cloud once Tseng and Elena are found?"  
"Hell, I don't know. If Tseng and Elena still have beef with Cloud and his merry band, then sure, I'll follow my orders and take them down."  
"But there's no need for that," Reeve protested. "The Planet was nearly destroyed because of Meteor. If it wasn't for Cloud, we'd all be dead!"  
"And he'll have himself to blame for letting us live if we have to kill them later on down the line. Look Reeve, I'm sure Cloud's a cool guy once you get to know him, but if he's out to get us, we gotta protect ourselves and fight back, you know what I mean?"  
Reeve tossed his hands into the air and sighed, aggravated. "You're hopeless."  
"Let's wait and see what happens up in the North Cave," Reno responded. "Then we'll see if I'm hopeless or not."  
Another moment passed before the North Continent faded into view. The Gaea Cliffs stood tall and dauntless against the dark sky and the silhouette of the North Crater could be easily distinguished. As the Turks flew over the mountains, they realized that the crater was now a bottomless void. Gawking at the sight in simultaneous awe, the Turks stared into the darkness below them.  
"Great." Reno smiled, then added with a hint of sarcasm: "This looks pleasant. Well, who wants to go in first?"  
Reeve glanced up at his pilot, then back down toward the caves yawning below them. Feeling a sickening sense of foreboding grow in the pit of his stomach, Reeve started to regret joining up with the Shinra again. It always meant more trouble. After a moment of odd silence, Reno turned toward his passengers and shrugged his shoulders.  
"Does anyone have any objections? Shall we head on down or not?"  
"I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Reeve started. "This whole thing is giving me shivers."  
"Something doesn't seem right." Rude muttered. "I have a strange sense of deja vu, though; as if I have seen this in a dream or somewhere."  
"I feel the same way," Reeve responded. "It feels like deja vu, but it also feels like something else. Like there's a presence lurking about down there."  
Almost instantly, just as Reeve finished his thought, the controls of the Gelnika shut off. All electronics lost power and before the Turks knew what happened, the Gelnika started a rapid descent toward the mountains below.  
The chassis shuddered and moaned while the Turks inside frantically started noticing what had happened.  
"What did you do?!" Reeve yelled.  
Reno replied, "I didn't do anything! The plane's lost all power! I don't know what happened!"  
"Get it back!" Reeve demanded.  
"It's electricity!" Reno replied. "You think I know where the fuck it went?"  
Without much else to say, Reno hopped out of the pilot's seat and hustled past Rude and Reeve, who stumbled close behind. Reno grabbed three parachute packs and tossed two to his passengers while he strapped one on himself. After throwing the pack over his shoulders, Reno pried open a side door and was almost blown back by a gust of wind that swept through the airliner.  
"Now or never!" Reno yelled. "We gotta bail outta here! Rendezvous at the Icicle Inn nearby!" With that, Reno leapt out of the plane and began a rapid plummet toward the Planet. Rude followed suit and Reeve was close behind as the three of them flew through the cold air before freeing their parachutes, slowing down their descent as the Gelnika continued to fall through the clouds. The Turks watched in awe as the plane plunged into the side of a mountain and tumbled down the snowy slopes before it erupted into a colossal ball of orange fire, the sound of which caused an enormous avalanche of white powder to slide quietly down the face of the cliffs.


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you sure we should be on the move so quickly?" Nanaki barked worriedly. "Give us some time to heal you, Cloud. Seriously, you're moving so quickly, we don't have enough time to cast a small cure spell for you."  
"I'm fine, Red," Cloud replied as he continued walking toward the outskirts of the city. "Look, we need to stay on the move. Sephiroth is tearing the Lifestream inside out and if we don't stop him, the Planet is going to die."  
"I understand that, but we're not going to get anything done if we don't prepare for whatever's about to happen."  
"He's right, Cloud." Vincent said. "We don't know what's ahead of us. That whole thing with Sephiroth just now caught all of us off guard. It'll be worse the next time around if we aren't at full strength."  
Vincent and Red XIII's pleading with Cloud seemed to have worked because the blonde haired solider finally stopped walking.  
"You okay, Cloud?" Red asked hesitantly.  
"We never had a single lead." Cloud muttered. "Not one. Now that Sephiroth showed up, I have double the questions and still no leads." He turned around and faced his comrades, his countenance hardened. "All we know is what Sephiroth told us: eventually, he will kill the Planet. How do we stop him? I don't know. Can we save the Planet? Still don't know. Even if we die, will we see our old friends on the other side?"  
"At this rate, there'll be no one in the Lifestream by the time any of us falls." Vincent shook his head, his gaze falling toward the ground beneath his feet. "I thought we ended all of this already. I thought it was over."  
"That was the way it was supposed to be." Cloud replied, somberly. "I guess nothing works out the way you want it to anymore."  
Red, resting on his hind legs, shook his head. "Guys, we can't be down and depressed like this. If we hang our heads and sit around, Sephiroth is gonna win and it'll all be over. I know how much you wanted this whole thing to be over and done with, but it can't end the way Sephiroth wants it to. We have to fight and we have to win."  
Cloud turned toward his four-legged, crimson-furred comrade.  
"My father fought hard to protect his home. Eventually, he succumbed to his enemy's force and was defeated, but he stood up and fought, knowing already there was little chance he would live through the battles. We've already proved ourselves to be great fighters. We fought the Shinra, we fought Jenova, and we fought Sephiroth. Each of them surrendered and each of them fell. Think of it this way: we're not fighting the same enemy anymore. We killed Sephiroth, okay? He's dead. Now, there's something else threatening the Planet and, as usual, we have to stop him.  
"So what do you say guys?" Nanaki glanced between Vincent and Cloud, then back again, his teeth bared in a comical smile.  
"We're not calling it quits or anything." Cloud said. "But I can't really think of what we can do next. Sephiroth's running around in the Lifestream, purging every soul on the other side before the Planet can recycle them. He's there and we're... here."  
Cloud paused, leaving Vincent and Nanaki standing anxious and nervous next to him. They stared at him, awaiting his revelation. But another moment passed while Cloud stood silent, his arms crossed and his gaze fixated on a patch of grass.  
"Cloud?" Nanaki asked. "What's the deal?"  
He quietly responded with: "I'm trying to think."  
"Well the suspense is killing us both." Red replied. "What are you thinking about?"  
Cloud gently shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, really. Something is sort of... in the back of my head and I can't really get it out."  
Red glanced between Vincent and Cloud, his brow furrowed in disarray. "I don't understand. You don't know what you were just thinking about?"  
"No, Red." Cloud replied, sounding a tad agitated. "There's just something in the back of my head. I can't place it; I don't know what it is..."  
Before Vincent or Nanaki knew Cloud had blacked out, he had already fallen into the grass face-first.

_"...Cloud..._  
_"Hey Cloud..._  
_"Can you hear me?"_  
"I can hear you."  
_"So you know now, right?"_  
"I have to stop Sephiroth before he kills the Planet, but I don't know how."  
_"Yes you do. You really do, but you're having trouble thinking about it."_  
"Why would I have trouble?"  
_"...Cloud... I'm sorry."_  
"For what?"  
_"I thought what I was doing was enough. That there wouldn't have to be any more sacrifices._  
_"But I was wrong. I'm sorry, Cloud."_  
"Aeris... what do I have to do?"  
_"...Jenova is in the North Cave. You have to get there!"_  
"Aeris, what do I have to do?"  
_"Fight Jenova! You must fight her, Cloud! You'll know by then what we need to do."_  
"...We?"

As the three Turks landed each of their descents, as the three of them regrouped and started moving toward the Icicle Inn, the ground beneath their feet began to quake. The earth shuddered and moaned as the North Crater exploded into a plume of charcoal-colored debris. As if on cue, a towering beast crawled out of the blast, its claws digging into the side of the mountain as it slithered out of the cave and onto the surface of the Planet. It stood on its two legs and released an ear-splitting scream, which caused another avalanche to slide down the face of the mountains.  
Jenova Union stood dauntless.

Meanwhile, Cloud quickly pulled himself out of his comatose state and stood up, his gaze swinging to the north where he could feel Jenova breathing life once again. He could hear the Planet crumble under her feet and he thought he could even hear the Planet scream as it did when Meteor approached.  
"Cloud, what's going on?" Vincent asked, worriedly. "I feel a tremendous burst of something... somewhere, and I don't know what it is!"  
Cloud's fists had tightened. "Jenova has pulled herself out of the hell she belongs in." he muttered. "She's waiting for us at the North Cave."  
_"You'll know by then what we need to do."_  
Cloud couldn't help but hear Aeris's voice echo in his head. "What did she mean?" he thought. "So Jenova's back. I have to fight her and kill her, like we always did before. But what's so different this time? I'll know when I get there - what the hell is she talking about?"  
"Cloud!" Nanaki barked.  
The blonde-haired swordsman turned toward his crimson-furred companion. "What?"  
"If Jenova is at the North Cave and the Highwind is destroyed, what are we going to do? How are we going to get there?"  
The question lingered in the air for a moment before Cloud turned toward his comrades and suggested, "How about we all rent a Chocobo?"  
Vincent glared at his partner as Nanaki merely shook his head.  
"Are you being serious?" Vincent asked, uncertain.  
Cloud allowed a small smile to form as he turned back to the north. "No, actually." Cloud fished around in his pocket for a red materia orb and held it between his thumb and forefinger. "I have a better idea."


	8. Chapter 8

"So much for your plan," Reno needled. "Go to the North Cave, find it's blocked off, then our plane dies and we end up here. Nice going, Reeve."  
"Back off," Reeve replied, coldness in his tone. "Like I expected all that shit to happen just now. You wanna try explaining what made that deafening screech about a half hour ago? Try me, Reno. You don't know shit, just like I didn't."  
Rude, ever so complacent in a time of crisis, tried calming his frazzled partners down. "Now's not the time to be insulting each other's mothers. We got a big problem on our hands and we don't even know what it is."  
Reno rested his back against the chair he was seated in and crossed his arms over his chest as Reeve rested his elbows on the table and looked intently toward Rude. "I think what we sort of expected to happen _did_ happen: there's another Weapon up there and we woke it up."  
"That or it came out on its own," Reno suggested. "Damn it, I called it, didn't I? I knew that something was up there, but I heard Reeve saying it was okay to go, so I went and look what fuckin' happened!"  
"Keep your mouth shut Reno and calm yourself." Rude glared at his comrade and sighed heavily through his nose. "We have a situation... and I don't know how we should handle it."  
The three Turks sat amidst their own silence for ten minutes, their gazes either on the floor, the wall, or the table before them. Reno was chewing on a toothpick, Rude was popping his knuckles to the point where they no longer needed popping, and Reeve's foot was tapping on the ground impatiently as if he were a bored student in math class.  
"I thought Tseng was dead," Reeve finally muttered. "Wasn't he in the Temple of the Ancients when that whole thing collapsed?"  
Reno glanced at his partner and shrugged. "He's alive. He's Tseng. I'm sure he got outta there and is probably living the life with Elena as we speak. You know she had it big for him."  
"So screw them," Reeve suggested. "If they don't want to answer the call and be the Turks they were when Rufus was around, to hell with them. We can do this thing ourselves."  
"Tseng was _our_ boss and _our_ friend," Reno replied edgily. "You answered to Rufus. _We_ answered to Tseng and we decide if we should say 'To hell with him' or not."  
"To hell with him," Rude echoed.  
Reno turned toward his comrade, a slight shade of disarray on his face.  
"Tseng was my boss and, I suppose, my friend. But I never had much of any respect for him. If he's alive and fucking Elena as we speak, let him. It will be us three that pull the Planet out of the dirt and us three that the people will recognize, not him."  
Reno sighed again. "Well it's good to see you're finally excited about our new mission, but Tseng is our boss..."  
"_Was_ our boss, Reno. You just said it yourself: he _was_ our boss and _was_ our friend. Now he's gone and we don't need him."  
Reno and Reeve exchanged looks as Rude stood up out of his chair.  
"Whatever crawled out of the North Cave is our matter and it's up to us to stop it, whatever it is. So let's go up there and prove that we are Turks! Let's prove to these people that their lives are in our hands and we will not let them down."  
Reno smiled as he stood up out of his chair too. "That's the spirit, buddy! We are Turks! We can do this!"  
Just as Reno and Rude concluded their pep rally, a small polyphonic ring could be heard echoing right underneath them. Reno and Rude exchanged glances this time as Reeve slowly extracted a phone from within his coat pocket. He opened it and breathed into it a surprised "Hello?"  
The two other Turks watched as Reeve's eyes widened.

Cloud smiled into his PHS as he held it close to his ear. "Reeve, you son of a bitch, it's good to hear your voice, man."  
On the other end, Reeve felt his stomach drop. "Well I'll be damned, I never thought I could just call you guys."  
"Yeah, it took me a while to figure this one out too, I'll admit. Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm up here at the Icicle Inn with Reno and Rude."  
"What the hell are you doing with them?"  
"Long story. Hey, what happened to you? You okay?"  
"I'm all right, but it's just me and Vincent and Red. Everyone else is dead. We figured you were, too."  
Reeve was silent for a moment. "Everyone is gone?"  
Cloud nodded, as if Reeve could see his silent acknowledgement. "The Highwind took a spill when Meteor exploded. We lost just about everybody."  
"Ah man, I'm sorry. You sure you're okay?"  
"Never been better, actually." Cloud replied with a smile. "We're on our way north right now."  
Another pause; a short one. "What do you mean you're on your way? I thought the Highwind crashed?"  
"It did," Cloud grinned. "But we found another mode of transportation. We'll be there shortly."  
As Cloud folded his phone together and slid it back into his pocket where it had slept quietly all afternoon, he and his partners Vincent and Nanaki sat atop the red-winged Phoenix as it soared through the high skies towards the North Continent.

Reeve glanced at his phone in surprise as he folded it together and set it on the table. He chuckled as he glanced up at his partners as they sat staring at him, waiting for his explanation.  
"Well, we've got some help coming," Reeve said. "Whatever's up north isn't just our problem anymore."  
"I'm guessing that Cloud is gonna come down here and save our asses then, huh?" Reno worded his retort bitterly, reminding Reeve that he was a Turk and that Turks don't have their asses bailed out by vigilantes.  
"Fuck off, Reno," Reeve spat at his partner. "Something big is going on and we need Cloud's help."  
"I don't need anyone else's help." Reno crossed his arms in defiance. "We're Turks. We can handle anything."  
"Will you shut up about that horseshit?" Reeve demanded. "We're not Turks! The Shinra is gone. The whole organization has crumbled. We're all vigilantes now, Reno! Who gives a shit?"  
Reno averted Reeve's glare as Rude stood up and finally interjected. "The point is not whether we are still Turks or not. Reeve's right about one thing though: something big is going on and if we need Cloud's help, then we need his help."  
Rude turned toward Reeve and said, "Are they coming here?"  
Reeve nodded. "They're on their way."  
"Fine."  
Reno stood up as well and ran a hand through his hair. "Whatever's up there knocked our plane out of the air, so yeah, it's gotta be something big. If Cloud needs our help, then we'll help him."  
Reeve couldn't help but smile at the way Reno worded his compliance. "I think he does, Reno."  
"Then let's go bail his sorry ass out."

As the strangest of Jenova's forms stood atop the North Cave, Cloud and his partners soared over it as they sat atop the crimson Phoenix. They gazed down at the creature as it gazed up at them.  
"Jenova..." Cloud muttered. "That thing refuses to give up."  
"Sephiroth is still fighting." Red noted. "Why wouldn't Jenova pull the same stunt?"  
"Indeed," Vincent replied.  
Jenova released a high-pitched, ear-splitting scream as the Phoenix soared overhead. The fire-winged crane screamed back as Cloud directed it away from the North Cave and toward the Icicle village south of the mountains. Much to Cloud's dismay, he was sure Reeve wanted the three of them to rendezvous with his group rather than take the fight to Jenova head on.  
"Why can't we fight now?" Cloud whined sarcastically.  
"Is it that important we rendezvous with Reeve?" Red asked. Apparently he wanted to fight, too.  
"He wants us to, but I personally think we should go down there and take care of Jenova ourselves." Cloud looked over his shoulder at Jenova. "She looks as if she's waiting for us. She's not even doing anything but staying put."  
Cloud glanced between his two partners, studying their eyes, before ordering the Phoenix to turn around. The bird screeched again as they picked up speed, Jenova Union in their sights.  
"You guys don't disagree, do you?" Cloud asked with a smile.  
Vincent cocked his rifle and glanced sideways at his blonde-haired companion. "We don't need the Turks cheerleading for us."  
Red snickered. "Vincent, that's the first bit of sarcasm I've heard out of you... ever."  
Cloud and Nanaki both were caught off guard when Vincent actually chuckled. "One might say I've lightened up a little."


	9. Chapter 9

Reeve, Reno and Rude could see the bright silhouette of Cloud's Phoenix soaring through the skies. They didn't notice at first, but when they learned that the bird had turned around and was flying back toward the North Crater, the shoulders of the three men dropped simultaneously.  
"So much for us joining the fray," Rude mumbled, apparently disappointed.  
Reno crossed his arms and began tapping his foot impatiently. "This sucks." He said blatantly. "I'm not about to let that spiky-haired asshole one-up my organization and fight the Planet's first threat since we started! We have a reputation to build, you guys!"  
Reeve only sighed. "Reno, get a grip. For the last time, we're not Turks."  
Reno released a quiet sigh through his nose before he turned and threw a swift punch into Reeve's face, knocking the man down onto his back. Rude only watched as Reeve tumbled to the ground, his nose leaking drops of blood.  
Reno caressed his fist with his other hand and glowered down at Reeve, who was cursing under his breath. "I don't care what you say anymore, Reeve, and personally, I don't give a fuck what you think anymore. Rude, are you with me on this one?"  
Rude uncrossed his arms and replied, "When it comes to being a Turk and your partner, I'm in."  
"Exactly," Reno replied, his narrow eyes still locked on Reeve. "We're Turks and we're keeping the organization alive. You want to spend time arguing against it, fine by me. We'll do this without you."  
Reeve snickered and smiled weakly. "Do what? Fight Jenova and save the world and expect the people to put their trust in you guys again?"  
"If that's what it takes," Reno replied smugly. "Rude and I can do this without you. Good luck finding somewhere to go in this day and age."  
As Reno and Rude began walking away, Reeve picked himself up and wiped the blood from his nose with his wrist. He shook his head, still smiling as if he heard a bad joke, as he pulled a glistening handgun out from behind his waist. He pulled the hammer back with his thumb, held the gun up and fired a quick round toward Rude. The bullet tore through Rude's back and exited out his chest before he collapsed to the ground, a crimson stream of blood draining from the wound. Reno jumped and turned around as Reeve fired a bullet into the remaining man's chest. Reno yelped as he lost balance and fell flat on his back.  
As Reno cringed in pain from the bullet tearing through his abdomen, Reeve walked toward him and stood towering over the fallen Turk.  
"You motherfucker," Reno hissed.  
Reeve was still smiling as he fired another round into Reno's forehead.  
With the two men dead, lying motionless in the snow, Reeve holstered the gun under his belt behind his waist as he began walking back to the Icicle Inn. He reentered the pub and found a seat at the bar next to a man with short black hair, wearing a long black rain coat.  
"They're dead," Reeve muttered.  
"That was awful fast," the man responded. "I thought you all were headed up north with Cloud?"  
"Change of plans," Reeve replied. "So, what's next?"  
The black-haired man was sipping on a margarita before he said, "Rufus is waiting for us in Junon."  
Reeve's eyes widened. "You didn't say Rufus was still alive."  
"Well now I'm saying it."  
Reeve blinked a couple times, his head bobbing as if he were disoriented. "How?"  
"Rufus is a strong man. We all thought he died in the Weapon assault, but we found him buried beneath a pile of debris and rubble, still breathing."  
"And how are you still alive?" Reeve queried.  
The man glanced over at Reeve and paused before he said, "I'm not sure."  
Reeve held the man's gaze a moment longer before nodding his head and turning away. He licked his lips and sighed before he turned back to the man and asked, "How's Elena?"

The assault against Jenova started with Vincent leaping off the back of the Phoenix and firing rounds into the towering beast as it stood motionless at the edge of the North Crater. As Vincent plummeted toward the ground, his rifle continuously firing into Jenova's face, the Phoenix came back around and soared right under Vincent's feet. With Vincent on board, Red lunged toward Jenova and clamped his jaws tight on the fiend's shoulder. Dark blood began spewing from the wound as Nanaki ferociously mauled the colossal monstrosity.  
As Red XIII tore hunks of flesh from Jenova, the Phoenix did another pass around the monster and it was Cloud who hurtled off the back of the bird and lunged toward Jenova. With the Ultima on his shoulder, Cloud swung swiftly straight across Jenova's twisted countenance. He followed-up with a barrage of slashes, improvising a less-maniacal Omnislash. As Cloud swung his sword in quick arcs around his person, Vincent launched back off the Phoenix and effortlessly transformed into the Chaos beast, a cloud of orange swarming around him.  
As Chaos floated in the air, his arms crossed over his chest, the Phoenix circled around again. As Cloud dug the blade of his sword straight into Jenova's face, Red continued to tear Jenova's shoulders to ribbons and the two fighters didn't stop until Cloud yanked his sword out of the monster's faÃ§ade and ordered Nanaki to retreat. With a bark, Red jumped off the monster's arm and landed nimbly in the snow below. Cloud was quick to follow and as he fell to the ground, the Phoenix still flying above crashed straight into Jenova's back and detonated into a colossal explosion. The towering monstrosity nearly lost balance as the explosion dissipated, revealing that the Phoenix had been dismissed.  
Cloud easily landed his dive and as he ran after Nanaki, the Chaos beast above became a blur and a series of dark shapes began tearing through Jenova. With Vincent flying through Jenova so fast he appeared multiplied, Cloud and Nanaki regrouped and began casting magic spells simultaneously. It wouldn't be long before Jenova Union released another ear-splitting cry as she fell back off her clawed feet and plummeted back down into the chasm she crawled out from.  
Vincent transformed back into his human self and nimbly fell to the ground next to his partners, who were both surprised at how easily it was to dispatch their monstrous opponent.  
"Well that was simple," Nanaki muttered.  
"Yeah." Cloud scratched at his head as he sheathed his blade. "Do you remember Jenova being that easy to fight, let alone kill?"  
Vincent checked his firearm as he holstered it. "I doubt that was the end of it. It never normally is."  
Cloud and Nanaki both nodded in accord as they waited for something else to happen, but the three warriors stood for nearly ten minutes and nothing followed Jenova's descent into the North Crater.


	10. Chapter 10

Anxious and bewildered, the trio stood at the mouth of a seemingly bottomless chasm that stretched deep into the Planet. As Cloud peered into the darkness, he easily could recall the battle that ensued between him and his silver-haired nemesis. As images of Sephiroth flooded the blonde man's mind, he found himself imagining Aeris' beautiful young face before Sephiroth's blood-thirsty sword struck her down and ended her life.  
"That smile," Cloud had said. "I'll never see it again."  
Just as Aeris' eyes began to fade into the darkness Cloud was staring into, he remembered the way Tifa looked before she became nothing but a green mist of Lifestream. Sephiroth had completely erased her. Despite Tifa's appearance, Sephiroth may not have ravaged her but only mocked Cloud and his surviving allies. Was that really Tifa? Could parts of the Lifestream actually be deleted from existence? If that was the case, then maybe there was more to the Lifestream than he thought.  
"Anybody care to take a look?" Red XIII asked with a chortle.  
"Be my guest," Vincent replied.  
Red glanced over at Cloud and judged by the lost look in the man's eyes that he was deep in thought. "Hey Cloud?"  
Cloud glanced sideways at the crimson-furred beast after a slight hesitation and said, quietly, "Yeah?"  
"You heading down there after it?"  
"Pfft," Cloud replied by forcing air awkwardly between his lips.  
Nanaki, at first worried about his leader's state-of-mind, was pleased with Cloud's silly response. He asked, "What's on your mind?"  
"I'm trying to remember if Bugenhagen could have told us something about the Lifestream I may have missed."  
Vincent cocked an eyebrow as Red asked the question they both had in mind. "Like what?"  
Cloud Strife licked his lips. "Sephiroth is trying to tell us he completely purged Tifa from the Lifestream, right? Not only that, _he_ himself appeared just as we last saw him. At first, I thought that when you die, you lose everything. Your identity… _everything_, right? You're nothing but Lifestream until you're used again, and then, you have a new identity and a new role."  
"That's what I thought," Vincent said.  
"Right," Cloud nodded. "But we saw Tifa and Sephiroth and I'm certain when I was down there yesterday, I saw Aeris."  
"You saw her?" Red asked earnestly.  
"If this is the case," Cloud continued, his gaze falling toward Red. "Then that sort of contradicts the whole Lifestream concept we thought we understood. When you die, you are brought back into the Lifestream and added back into the Planet's inventory until you are needed. But by that time, you're no longer _you_ but part of the Planet and when you're needed again, you could be combined with other _people_ and made into something new. It doesn't matter what you were. The Planet can't have a decrease in its energy. It can't lose it. It reuses it and makes what _was_ into what _is_. You understand what I'm saying?"  
"For the most part," Red replied.  
"I know what you're saying," Vincent muttered. "And we've already established this, remember? If you lose your _self_ when you die, you become nothing more than Lifestream ready to be used again, yet how is it that Aeris, Tifa and Sephiroth managed to keep themselves together?"  
"Aeris appeared to me because she wanted to and she's directly affecting the Planet." Cloud thought aloud. "The flowers in her church were her doing, I'm certain. Sephiroth, too, is still _alive_, in a sense, and so was Tifa. I'm wondering that if you had a strong enough will, could you actually keep yourself together even after you've been absorbed into the Lifestream?"  
"Apparently." Red said as he glanced back down into the hole before him. "Sephiroth said himself that he took control of the Lifestream. It's up to him what's reused and what isn't and seeing as how he has the Planet in his grasp, nothing may be reused ever again."  
Vincent joined in. "Sephiroth might have been behind Tifa's appearance. If he's telling the truth, then he could have erased her and not bothered showing _us_ anything, but we saw her anyway. Maybe he wanted us to see because he wanted us to believe him."  
It bothered Cloud to say the words he was thinking, but it best described the situation. "So maybe not everyone can retain their form, like Sephiroth and Aeris did. Tifa might not have been strong enough to do that on her own, but Sephiroth had her in his possession and did with her what he wanted. He brought her to us and killed her right in front of our eyes."  
"That is if Sephiroth isn't fibbing," Red suggested.  
"But _he's_ reappeared," Vincent reminded. "If he could do it, he might have the power to make anyone else do the same - unless it isn't that difficult to retain your shape after dying to begin with."  
"But what about the Planet?" Red asked. "We used to hear it scream and beg for help. I haven't heard anything since Meteor was destroyed."  
"That might be because the Planet doesn't have a say in things anymore." Cloud replied. "It's all Sephiroth."  
"So maybe he brought Jenova back?" Red asked. "Maybe he wanted to see if she was any stronger after the last time?"  
"Or maybe we didn't kill her to begin with." Cloud realized. "And maybe _that's_ why she didn't fight back."  
"Wait," Vincent tried to keep up. "Why not?"  
"Maybe we _didn't_ kill Jenova when we last fought her." Cloud scratched the back of his head. "Maybe Sephiroth sent her up here because he knew how close she really was to dying. Maybe we did him a favor by fighting her just now…?"  
"A favor? Like what?" Red asked.  
"We may have sent Jenova to the Lifestream, too."

Tseng and Reeve were being flown by helicopter over the vast oceans below. Their destination was Junon, where President Rufus was allegedly waiting.  
"Elena backed out," Tseng had admitted. "She was a fine Turk. One that I admired, to say the least. A shame her conscience overwhelmed her like it did."  
Reeve was seated across from Tseng and held his gaze. "What does the President plan to do?"  
Tseng eyed his passenger curiously, then smiled. "The world needs a leader, Reeve. And the leader needs a staff."  
Reeve shook his head in skepticism, a slight chuckle escaping through his lips. "I've heard that before." He continued. "If Rufus wants to keep Shinra alive, then why Reno and Rude?"  
"Don't you want your job back?" Tseng fired back.  
"I didn't say that," Reeve responded. "I mean, of course I do. After the Weapon assault, I was certain my life on the streets was just around the corner. But Reno and Rude were Turks and they fought hard for Rufus."  
"Reno and Rude had attitudes," Tseng said. "I worked with them. I knew them well. They were just like their boss, wanting to do things their own way and not fall in line with the others."  
"You don't know that for sure," Reeve said.  
Tseng cocked an eyebrow. "You wanted to kill those two just as much as I did. Now you're questioning it? It's a little late for that, Mr. Urban Development."  
"I'm just saying Rufus could probably use all the help he can get. Heidegger, Scarlet, Palmer, Hojo - they're all dead, too. The Turks have been reduced to one man and as for Rufus's infamous board, I am the only surviving affiliate."  
"Palmer's still alive," Tseng said. "He's seen better days, but he's very much alive."  
Reeve snorted. "My mistake. Not like the fat man can do much anyway."  
"But of the original crew," Tseng continued. "Yes, sadly there's only us."  
Reeve eyed Tseng cautiously. "What do you mean original crew?"  
"Listen," Tseng started. "You were far from discreet when it came to your allegiance with Cloud. Rufus didn't hold it against you. You teamed up with the man and aided in his little coup, but no big deal. It was Reno and Rude that concerned the President. They were ambitious to take the President's place as leaders of Midgar and as the most influential people the Planet had ever known, but Rufus is still President need I remind you? We can't have any more rebellions. Not now, at least."  
"Reno and Rude were seen as enemies?" Reeve asked.  
"Candidates," Tseng corrected. "Rufus viewed them as presidential candidates and opponents. Who better to step back up as leader during this chaotic time than Rufus?"  
Reeve shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose I understand. Ally yourself with those you're already familiar with."  
Tseng pointed toward Reeve and nodded. "Exactly." He confirmed.  
"Okay," Reeve said. "There's you and then there's me. Who else has Rufus employed?"  
Tseng smiled as he reclined back into his seat. "A few newcomers have happened along our way recently."  
"A few?"  
Tseng nodded. "There is also another man we are quite familiar with that just happened to have survived the events that have recently unfolded."  
"Who?" Reeve asked.  
Tseng could only smile. "You'll see."

"If only we had the Highwind," Cloud muttered through shaky breaths as he and his partners trudged through the tall, glistening snow. Icicle Inn was still a ways away. The town itself could barely been seen from where the three warriors were standing.  
"I'd be satisfied if a Chocobo came our way," Vincent replied coolly. Red didn't comment. The three simply continued their trek through the seemingly infinite field of white snow that lay between them and the nearest town.  
A good portion of the day passed before the men reentered the town. It was twilight out and the three fighters were thankful that they weren't trapped in the snow fields in the bitter dark. As they returned, they found the village was bustling with commotion. Until Cloud asked one of the locals about the situation, neither of them knew what was going on.  
"Two men have been killed." The local man said in response to Cloud's inquiry. "They were shot." He continued. "None of us are sure, but we think they were members of the Turks."  
"The Turks?" Vincent asked.  
"What did they look like?" Cloud asked.  
"A white guy with red hair and a black, bald man." The local glanced away, as if he heard a voice. "Both pretty tall; dressed in sharp suits, too."  
"Reno and Rude," Red mumbled.  
"Did anyone see who did it?" Cloud asked.  
The local could only scratch at his hair. "No one really did, really. Some say the two guys were there with a third man, but the third man's gone. Not too sure what's going on here, but this is the most commotion this place has seen in a while. All of this, plus the fact our best doctor is being flown to Mideel to treat an elderly woman. I mean, this is too much."  
The local began walking away, leaving Cloud and his comrades helpless and without answers.  
"Why would Reeve kill off Reno and Rude?" Nanaki asked.  
"There's something going on that we don't know about," Vincent stated.  
"We'll figure out _that_ mess soon enough. I say we all head to the inn and rest," Cloud suggested. "Our next stop is the Forgotten Capital."

"It's no use trying to hypothesize," Vincent muttered. "I think we all know what's happening."  
"Yeah," Red replied solemnly. "I suppose it's best to stop kidding ourselves."  
Cloud decided to outline the situation once again. "Sephiroth has the Planet in his grasp and he's not letting go. He's found a way to retain his spirit even after physically dying and entering the Lifestream and now, he has the power he always hungered for. He's killing the Planet from the inside out."  
"What's your plan?" Vincent asked. "Why the Forgotten Capital?"  
"I'm hoping I'll find an answer there."  
"No kidding," Vincent snapped. "Like what, Cloud?"  
"I don't know," Cloud replied, flustered. "I'm just… hoping that I'll figure out _something_."  
"A means to stop Sephiroth, of course," Nanaki said.  
"Of course," Cloud responded. "We all want answers."  
"I want to know if that was really Jenova and why she was still alive," Vincent said.  
"I want to know if Sephiroth wants to rule the Planet or kill it," Red sat back on his hind legs and sighed through his nose. "His motives never were clear to begin with. Not for me, at least."  
Cloud listened to his partners ask themselves the questions plaguing them before he spoke. "Jenova fell from space, right? She never really was… a _part_ of the Planet, right?"  
Vincent nodded. "She allegedly fell from the sky and the result was the North Crater. Lifestream has been gathering there to heal _that_ wound for thousands of years."  
"Wasn't that what was depicted in the Temple?" Red asked. "Upon retrospect, I always thought they were referring to Meteor, but how could they have known anything about Meteor if it was never summoned before?"  
"Because it was Jenova they were talking about," Vincent replied. "A catastrophe that fell from the skies…"  
Cloud had long since lost his gaze out the window. As Vincent and Red continued their discussion, the young solider stared noiselessly at the sky. The stars glowed eerily with foreboding and Cloud felt as if Sephiroth's piercing gaze was omnipresent, as if the prodigy really _was_ a god of some kind.  
As if a spark had gone off in Cloud's brain, the blonde man's eyes shot open. "I missed it."  
His partners turned to him, concerned.  
"I mean, I forgot about it." Cloud turned and faced his comrades. "The church. We said it way in the beginning: Aeris is still _alive_ in the Lifestream. Sephiroth hasn't gotten to her yet."  
"Do you think he's found her?" Red asked.  
"Of course," Cloud replied. "It's Sephiroth. He sees everything now. That's why he chose Tifa instead. Because he _could_. Aeris is untouchable - for now, at least."  
"Yeah, and let's hope for a little while longer." Red glanced to the side.  
"I feel like we're wasting time standing here." Cloud said. "We could be on our way to the Capital by now. The Planet's dying as we speak."  
"But who knows who we'll have to fight when we get there, Cloud?" Vincent asked. "We have to be prepared and we would have frozen or collapsed due to fatigue if we stayed out there any longer. We need our rest and you know it."  
Cloud ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed. "I just… I want to talk to her. I know she's okay and I know she can help us."  
"Try to sleep," Red suggested. "You never know. Maybe she'll come to you in a dream or something."

Cloud tossed and turned under his sheets as the night passed, his mind flooded with nightmares depicting the murders of his family and friends. The flames that swept through Nibelheim only five years ago returned along with the pained memories of losing his mother and his closest friends to Shinra and to Sephiroth especially.  
Cloud may have gotten away with close to four hours of sleep before he stood up out of bed and decided he had enough rest. It was another four hours before the rest of his team was up and ready for departure. Without exchanging many words, the trio stocked up on healing elixirs before holstering their weapons and beginning their hike down the mountains to the Forgotten Capital.


	11. Chapter 11

Junon, sans the Mako Cannon of global infamy, faded from obscurity and loomed on the horizon, as if it were a testament to the power-hungry union that overlooked its operations. Reeve had forgotten what time of day it was and certainly no longer cared.  
Since Cloud launched his little "coup," as Tseng had referred to it, everything had fallen apart. Sephiroth rose simultaneously and the countdown to apocalypse had begun with practiced bravado, with towering beasts and chaos on every magnitude.  
But the Weapons were destroyed. The guardians of the Planet had been destroyed! Jenova, too, had been sent back to whatever hell she was from and Sephiroth met his match at the hands of Cloud Strife. Who would have guessed?  
"We'll be landing in a few minutes." Tseng said, interrupting Reeve's thoughts. "I know the suspense is just eating away at you, so I'll alleviate your worries – or will I just resurrect your fears?"  
Reeve eyed him, making his discontent obvious in his gaze. "What?"  
"It's Hojo." Tseng stated. "It's he who has survived."  
Reeve let himself fall back in his seat, dumbfounded. "Hojo?" he whispered. "Of all people, Hojo survived?"  
"Cloud's assault proved to have gotten the best of him, but the Jenova cells the madman polluted his body with made sure that their host did not die. He is recuperating as we speak."  
"I wouldn't refer to Hojo as 'he' anymore." Reeve said with disgust. "He had the mindset of a monster and now he is one."  
"So 'it' is waiting for us in Junon." Tseng said with indifference.

"How the hell did this happen!?" Tseng screamed. His breathing short, the Turk stared wide-eyed at the display of blood and gore that stained the room. He allowed a brief moment of pure fear before realizing the President could also be in danger.  
"President Rufus!" he hollered as he bolted out of the room, certain that his leader was also dead, leaving Reeve alone in the lab Professor Hojo had been kept in since the man's first clash with Cloud Strife.  
It wasn't Hojo's only collision with the blonde-haired man atop that Mako Reactor those few days ago, because it was apparent that it was Cloud who showed up in Junon today. It was Cloud who somehow infiltrated the lab where Hojo was kept and it was Cloud was killed everyone there.  
The laboratory was littered with the corpses of the facility's personnel, their bodies flung in all corners of the room. The true sight to behold was the capsule in the center of the room.  
Reminiscent to the casing Jenova herself was held in, that small pod in Midgar Sephiroth destroyed to break her free, Hojo's mutated form had been kept in a container connected to several hoses and display screens that now proved the monster Hojo was dead.  
If that wasn't enough evidence, the colossal silver blade that had pierced the glass, along with Hojo's body, proved what the display screens may have forgotten to disclose.  
Reeve stared in wide-eyed bewilderment at the sword that protruded from the steel shell. That was Cloud's sword, all right, but not the one he always used. He had wielded many other blades, but he always kept that one near, as if it were more a memento than an extension of his rage.  
And here it was, sticking out of Hojo's hideous, dead self, the blade practically buried in the beast's torso, the rest jutting out toward the ceiling, like a makeshift grave marker.

Vincent and Nanaki, led by Cloud Strife, had descended the steep chasms that hid the entrance into the Forgotten Capital. They met no resistance and soon stepped off of soil and onto roads that were laid down centuries ago.  
"How long has it been?" Red XIII asked. "It feels like forever."  
It had barely been a couple weeks, but Cloud kept his comments to himself and continued forward. He could still recall how easily Sephiroth's blade pierced Aeris' skin, how her eyes still glowed after he pulled the blade from her, her blood…  
"Cloud?" Nanaki cried, as if he had been repeating the name, concern laden in his voice.  
"Yeah?" the blonde-haired man asked.  
"Are you all right?"  
Cloud sighed and shook his head. "This is just… I'll never forget what happened here."  
"None of us will." Nanaki said.  
The three men stood silent for another moment longer before continuing through the aging city, their memories orbiting around them, looming in the shadows.

"So what were we hoping to find here?" Vincent asked. "I think a crystal-clear message handwritten by Aeris is too much to ask, so what are we expecting?"  
"I don't know." Cloud replied. "Truth be told, I am expecting something. I just don't know anything beyond that."  
"Aeris is connected to this place." Nanaki suggested. "I'm certain that she's very partial to this place, so maybe…"  
"Red." Vincent interrupted Nanaki's proposal and motioned toward Cloud, who was standing still and silent.  
All three of them could see Aeris, standing down the same road they were on, her back toward them, as if she were oblivious to their presence.  
"My god." Nanaki whispered. "It's her."  
The three warriors stood uneasy as Aeris turned slightly to her side, just enough to glance at them over her shoulder. At this moment, two things happened.  
Vincent and Nanaki both heard the woman's voice echo in their ears, as if she was standing right next to them and whispering, "I'm sorry."  
As soon as they registered the apology, Cloud vanished in a cloud of green mist.

Vincent and Red knew exactly where Cloud went to, even if it wasn't Cloud who was in control of his apparent teleportation. The two ran through the ruins of the Cetra and darted toward the towering structure in the center of the remains, certain that they'd find Cloud standing at the edge of the pool where they had laid Aeris to rest. When they arrived at the lake and found no one waiting for them, they made for the structure itself, hoping to find Cloud inside. Anything could have been waiting for them inside, but they practiced no caution.  
When they entered the ruin, they did not find Cloud waiting for them, but the staircase that led beneath the remains of the Ancient's civilization was open, no longer blocked off by the mess of flora that they were accustomed to seeing. Surprised, and now feeling apprehension, the two descended the staircase and gazed at the crystalline cenotaph that stood waiting for them below.  
"This place hasn't changed a bit." Vincent remarked quietly.  
"I smell blood." Nanaki replied, his voice laden with a subtle quiver.  
"Aeris?" Vincent suggested.  
"No." Red replied. "This is fresh."  
They glanced toward each other, then looked out toward the glassy edifice that Sephiroth himself descended upon when the group first arrived at that place; where Aeris was struck down. The two warriors experienced an episode of déjà vu when they caught sight of a body lying in the vicinity of where Aeris was slain and it wasn't long before they realized that it was not their imagination, but the fallen body of their leader.

When they rushed to Cloud's side, they found Cloud's sword lodged in his chest, the once-translucent blade now blue like the very waters around them.


	12. Chapter 12

"Oh my God..." Nanaki nudged the fallen man's arm with his snout, displaying concern in a fashion that made him seem more a pup than a lion. "Cloud."  
Vincent had taken a knee and couldn't take his gaze away from his fallen comrade's surprisingly tranquil countenance. "This has Sephiroth written all over it."  
Red glanced away from Cloud's body, facing toward the staircase they descended from only moments ago. "No. I don't think so."  
Vincent turned toward Red and asked, "Why is that?"  
"We saw Aeris only seconds before Cloud vanished, right in front of our eyes. She has something to do with this." Red took a fleeting look back at Cloud, sighing through his nose. "At least, I hope."

"The Lifestream runs, like blood in the veins, through every living organism on the Planet." Sephiroth's voice echoed throughout the darkness surrounding Cloud. Thunder crashed and winds blew, but no lightning crackled, nor did a drop of rain fall. It was as if he were caught in the midst of an otherworldly tempest, the signs of an oncoming storm over-exaggerated whereas the actual storm itself was nonexistent.  
Sephiroth's banter, which Cloud was certain was directed specifically at him, continued. "Essentially, _I_ also run through the same arteries. I am mixed with the blood of the Planet. I am everything and everyone."  
Cloud couldn't feel himself standing on any ground. Silently, he hoped he was just floating and not falling. In this darkness, he wouldn't be able to tell.  
"I'm sorry, Cloud."  
The kind, gentle voice Cloud vowed he would never forget caressed his ears as a hand rested on his side. He could _feel_ her standing behind him, feel the wind blowing through her hair, and feel that sweet smile. She died smiling…  
"Aeris," Cloud muttered. "I was beginning the wonder when my guide would show up." He turned around, finding it surprisingly easy to move without the aid of something to stand on. Darkness was all around him a moment ago, but as he laid eyes on Aeris, he could see her as clear as day. He could also see Zack, who was standing some odd feet away, behind Aeris. He was smiling, too, which Cloud found strange, considering what was happening. He was also baffled at how Zack was able to stand.  
"What are you apologizing for?" Cloud asked.  
"Don't you know where you are?" Aeris asked. "Don't you remember what _happened_ to you?"  
"I died." Cloud said, with indifference. "You told me what I needed to do to get here, so I did it. I had to come."  
Aeris, looking troubled, tried to respond, but couldn't find any words.  
They were all dead. The only way Cloud could face off against Sephiroth was to go to the Lifestream. Flying to Mideel and jumping in wasn't an option. Cloud still wouldn't have been on the same level as the silver-haired menace.  
"You led me away from the others so they wouldn't stop me." Cloud said. "You told me the only way to stop Sephiroth for good was to come to the Lifestream and death was the only way I could come _here_, where you are."  
Aeris nodded, still looking saddened. Cloud was still surprised at how Aeris just looked full of life. He had to keep reminding himself that everyone he saw here was essentially dead – and that included Sephiroth.  
"Where is he?" Cloud asked.  
"Right here." The world-renowned soldier lifted the darkness with a wave of his hand and introduced Cloud to a blurred, surreal landscape, a mirror-image of the real world, but obviously twisted and distorted. Black clouds swirled overhead, exchanging bolts of blue lightning with each other. Jagged crags, like a giant's teeth, protruded from the ground and glowed with an eerie aura. The colors shifted and eddied, as if Cloud were surveying the world through a kaleidoscope; the once-beige dirt becoming green, like the grass, until that became blue, like the sea, which churned and crashed with ferocious aggression, the fierce waves becoming ink-like and dark, emanating a nigrescent glow no man had ever seen before. As Cloud processed what his eyes were showing him, he couldn't help but hope that this was only because Sephiroth was there; that the Lifestream wasn't always _this_.  
Sephiroth was afloat, high in the turbulent air, looking just as he did when Cloud had confronted him in the North Cave – human.  
"What was the story with Jenova, Sephiroth?" Cloud hollered. "She didn't put up much of a fight, you know?"  
"Why are you here, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked.  
Cloud smiled. "You know why I'm here."  
It was Sephiroth who smiled next. "To put a stop to _me_? Allow me to enlighten you, Cloud. This planet's mine now. Mother can try all she wants, she doesn't belong here. She was never part of the Planet and she never will be. I don't need her anymore."  
"That's no way to speak about your mother." Cloud replied, mockingly.  
"She's powerless compared to me. She's better off dead. One less atrocity ruining the image of my utopia."  
"And then there's you, Sephiroth." Cloud barely had to concentrate before his Buster Sword appeared in hand. He could feel Zack's eyes on him, but he wasn't sure if he had his blessing or his envy. Either way, it didn't matter. They were dead. "You don't belong here, either. Time for you to go."  
Sephiroth continued to snicker. "I told you, Cloud. This is my planet. I'm the new god. I am part of everything now. You can't get rid of everything."  
"No, but I can get rid of you. And if anyone else up there has any part of you or Jenova, I'll send them packing, as well."  
"Of course you will." Sephiroth smiled. "But what of those who have mine or Mother's cells, hmm? You send them back to the Lifestream, they will be carrying me and Mother with them. We'll just come back."  
Cloud paused, but only for a brief second. The first battle was of words. The second would be of swords. "And I'll be here waiting."  
As he lowered his chin to his chest, Sephiroth continued to smile and sneer. "Of course you will."  
The black clouds that once swirled like a vortex in the skies began to part, giving way to a startlingly clear view of a night sky, complete with millions of stars and the glowing crimson eye that, in Sephiroth's world, continued to glare at the Planet, as it did before it met its end at the hands of Holy in the real world.  
"Cloud," Sephiroth lifted his head as his lengthy blade appeared in his grasp. He clutched the hilt of his prized weapon and soared toward his blonde-haired rival.  
"Always the foolish one." Sephiroth had closed the distance between himself and Cloud almost instantly, but the Masamune blade met resistance when it collided with Cloud's hefty weapon. The blonde-haired man held the Buster Sword horizontally above his head as he held off against Sephiroth's assault, both men's eyes locked on each other's.  
"Oh," Sephiroth jeered. "Where did you find this strength?"  
"I'm not about to tell you." Cloud replied, baring his teeth slightly, as he shoved Sephiroth away. Sparks flew from their blades as the silver-haired soldier bounded back, landing nimbly on his feet.  
"I'm going to kill you, Cloud." Sephiroth said, apathetically. "And when I do, you _won't_ be coming back."  
"Right back at you." Cloud countered.


	13. Chapter 13

Sephiroth was thrown into a jagged boulder protruding from the surface of his nightmarish world, the earth crumbling under his weight as he crashed into it. It was difficult to believe that his body was more an illusion than flesh.  
Cloud leapt into the air, his Buster Sword emanating a fiery glow. He couldn't feel gravity, nor could he feel his own weight. It was as if there were no rules.  
As Cloud floated, effortlessly, Sephiroth bolted into the air after him. The two men exchanged a seemingly endless string of beatings, their swords gleaming with each passing bolt of lightning in the mysteriously clear sky.  
On the ground, Aeris and Zack could only watch.  
"He's better than me." Zack said with a grin. "Why was I promoted to SOLDIER and he wasn't?"  
"There's no time for that now." Aeris said. "Rally up as many people as you can. Cloud won't beat him alone."  
"What are you going to do?"  
Aeris watched as Cloud plummeted out of the skies and bounded off the ground, seemingly unscathed. The man slid across the dirt for a few yards, as if he were on ice, then went airborne once again.  
"Aeris?" Zack asked.  
"Just get as many of them here as you can. Shouldn't be hard if they know why."  
"And what're you gonna do?" he repeated.  
"I'm calling for Holy again."

As Cloud flew toward his nemesis, Sephiroth extended an arm toward the stars. A sleeve of brilliant fire wrapped around his outstretched limb and as Cloud approached, he lowered his hand and volleyed a massive fireball toward the blonde-haired man spearing through the air toward him.  
Without showing a glimpse of surprise, Cloud raised his sword and cut through the massive attack with ease, the fireball deteriorating behind him into dying flames. Cloud quickened his speed and slammed his sword into Sephiroth's, a deafening _clang_ accompanying the weapons' collision.  
"You just can't accept the natural order of the Planet, can you?" Sephiroth muttered.  
"I'm certain the Planet wanted nothing to do with you!" Cloud replied. Both the men's swords were locked together, as if they had reached a stalemate.  
"The Lifestream flows through me." Sephiroth said. "If you manage to destroy me, what do you think will happen to the Lifestream?"  
As if unimpressed by his enemy's threat, Cloud replied: "You'll be gone for good."  
"Are you not concerned with that loss, Cloud? Aren't you the holy philanthropist?"  
"If it isn't obvious," Cloud said with a grin. "So long as you're erased from existence, I could care less what else happens."

Aeris continued to watch Cloud do battle with Sephiroth. Only a moment seemed to have passed before Zack spoke behind her.  
"They're here." He said. "Just like you said: everyone."  
She smiled. "I told you. No one wants him here."  
"I'm surprised, though." Zack said. "His parents aren't here yet. They must still be alive."  
"They are." Aeris replied. "Now then, have you already saved me the trouble of gathering them?"  
Zack laughed. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Aeris kept her gaze on the fight as Zack stepped toward her, his hand resting on her shoulder. "We'll give it all we got."  
"You make it sound like all I'm gonna do is watch." Aeris turned around and looked into Zack's eyes. They still held the same Mako glow he had when he was alive. In a place like the Lifestream, you weren't supposed to retain your spirit, but under these circumstances, they almost felt like they were alive again. Dying didn't seem like much of a transition at all.  
"One question." Aeris said. "It might sound stupid, but… how were you able to wait for me like this?"  
Zack shrugged. Aeris didn't notice it at first, but his eyes were glowing brighter than normal. "Maybe it was my passion for life, I don't know. But when I got here, I stayed this way. Maybe I had some higher calling. Don't you think?"  
"Maybe." Aeris smiled as she took Zack's hand in hers.  
Zack smiled back. "Like I said, we'll give our all."  
"I'll be sure to tell him that."  
As the two held hands, Zack began to glow an eerie green, his body accentuated with an otherworldly aura that didn't seem so strange in a place like the Lifestream. It wasn't long before he disappeared from sight, and the aura that had enveloped him now added color to Aeris.  
Thankful that she couldn't feel the strain as she did when alive, Aeris turned back toward Cloud and watched as Sephiroth batted him down, out of the skies and back to the ground. Nimble as always, Cloud ricocheted off the earth and came to a stop, but before taking flight and continuing his duel, Aeris called out to him.

"Cloud, hold on a second."  
Cloud glanced over his shoulder when he heard Aeris calling out to him. Zack was gone, absent from his spot at Aeris' side.  
"What is it?" he asked.  
Aeris came up beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You can't beat him that way. Not on your own."  
"What?"  
"You two may have been on the same level, but he's ascended to something different. He's out of your league."  
"I think I'm holding my own just fine."  
"Because he's enjoying this! Cloud, if you want to beat him, and I mean get rid of him for good, listen to me."  
Cloud sighed through his nose, not sure how to respond. He threw a cursory glance toward Sephiroth, who was still floating high in the strangely calm skies.  
What if she was right? "Okay," he began. "What's your plan?"  
"Let us fight with you."  
He cocked an eyebrow. "Us?"  
Aeris smiled and clutched Cloud's shoulder with the same kind of passion as if two lovers were parting ways for an unknown amount of time. Her body glowed with an effulgence that nearly blinded Cloud. The light was so extreme, he had to turn his head away.

Sephiroth, knowing his eyes weren't his own, refused to turn his gaze away from the spectacle that was unfurling below him. The girl had placed her hand on Cloud, then exploded into a dazzling display of bright light.  
"It's no use, Cloud." Sephiroth muttered. "Magic can't help you here. It was fun while it lasted, but I have serious matters to attend to."  
Obviously in a hurry, Sephiroth plummeted out of the skies. His blade brandished, he made a bee-line dash through the air toward Cloud. One swift motion, that's all it will take.  
Sephiroth was within reach of the blonde-haired man and doubled the grip he had on his sword to ready his swing. He brought the blade around himself and swung forward, fast enough to blur the silver-bladed weapon, but the blade caught against something Sephiroth couldn't recognize and the sword came to a dead stop.  
His eyes wide, Sephiroth watched as the light around Cloud dimmed, revealing that the girl had vanished and that Cloud was standing completely still, as was the blade, lodged in an invisible barrier.  
Sephiroth grunted and tried to smile. "No matter! No magic can help you here, Cloud!"  
In reply, Cloud's hand had grasped Sephiroth by his jaw and held him firmly in place. Lightning arced off the man's extended arm and a torrential burst of wind blew Sephiroth away, propelling his flailing body into the air.  
Sephiroth tumbled along the ground, reflecting off the ground painfully before coming to a stop, he returned his gaze to Cloud, who held his Buster Sword at his side. The man's eyes burned bright as two white wings erupted from his back, shredding his uniform and tossing ribbons of violet cloth into the air.  
Sephiroth was breathless. "What is this!?"  
Cloud bounded off the earth and darted toward Sephiroth, his sword held at the ready. While Sephiroth tried to regain his bearing, Cloud's blade tore through the soldier's chest, pulling him off his feet.  
As Sephiroth came off the ground, the force of the assault yanking him parallel to the surface, Cloud rebounded off the dirt and flew back toward his adversary, dragging his blade along the terrain before swinging upward, toward the heavens and catching Sephiroth in the strike. The man skyrocketed toward the heavens, but his ascension was cut short when Cloud flew by and struck Sephiroth with his blade a third time.  
Sephiroth was caught in the midst of a half dozen hits that ensued afterward. Each strike was preceded by Cloud, seemingly mindless but extremely aggressive, darting through the air and slashing through Sephiroth with each pass. The final blow came as Cloud appeared above Sephiroth, holding his blade over his head.  
Sephiroth had enough time to make eye contact with his assassin before the blade sent Sephiroth tumbling back toward the surface of the Planet he had created. Anticipating the collision, Sephiroth tried to convince himself that this wasn't the real world. He couldn't experience pain, nor could he be defeated.  
But his thoughts were interrupted when Cloud's sword pierced Sephiroth's chest through his backside. Cloud had reappeared below him and held his blade toward the sky, skewering Sephiroth in the process.  
Frozen, Sephiroth's vision had blurred the black sky and the white stars into a liquid ocean of darkness.  
Beneath him, currents of white light flowed around Cloud's legs and into his sword, finally spreading through Sephiroth's impaled body. The man glowed bright white for a quick moment before a column of dazzling luminescence erupted around them, engulfing them in a pillar of otherworldly resplendence that stretched through the night and pierced the black sky above.


	14. Chapter 14

I had no recollection of how I came to be in that capsule, that prison, but I knew I was not dead. I had a tough time convincing myself that, despite everything, I was alive.  
My eyes felt tired and heavy, and it was difficult to keep them open in the water I was submerged in, but I could still see out the front of the glass case I was trapped in. I could see men moving hurriedly, with haste, as if something unprecedented had happened, their faces contorted into looks of bewilderment and excitement, their mouths forming noiseless words that only they could hear.  
Maybe it was me. I had woken up, but perhaps it wasn't from sleep that I rose out of. Maybe I was dead.  
The men were scientists, garbed in clean, white lab coats, their hands wrapped in latex gloves, their plastic-wrapped hands pulling masks over their faces.  
I was wearing a mask, as well. I had been breathing this whole time underwater and I hadn't questioned it. Hoses coiled in front of me and reached up to the top of the tank.  
I was surprised to see one of the scientists approaching the glass. He peered in at me, a gentle grin on his face. He was an older man, his hair grey and balding. His aged face was lit up by the fluorescent bulbs that burned overhead. I glanced away to look for windows, something that would help me recognize my surroundings, but there were none.  
"It's going to be fine, Professor." the man said.  
I looked at him. I wanted to speak, but I couldn't. Something was keeping me from saying anything. All I could do was look at his eyes and detect a small bit of trepidation, as if the glass between us wasn't enough to shield him from me and whatever atrocities he thought I was capable of committing against him and his staff.  
That's when I remembered Jenova. She was more me than I was. After everything that had happened, what did I even look like? Was I even me anymore?  
My thoughts were interrupted when the scientists in the room with me all turned toward the entryway, as if something there caught their attention. If it was a sound, I missed it. I could barely hear anything as it was.  
A figure blasted through the entry doors with enough force to rip them off the wall. Whatever it was, it was clutching a body in its grasp.  
The scientists were frozen. The figure tossed the body forward and it landed in a heap some odd feet in front of the capsule I was in. I couldn't tell who it was. The water was too murky, polluted with whatever chemicals the scientists deemed necessary.  
I had only glanced at the cadaver for a moment and when I looked up, half of the scientists in the room with me had been killed. Blood had stained the ceiling and the walls, the men's bodies flung in all directions. The man that had spoken to me stood with his back to me, his hands up, shaking with more fear than he felt when he stared into my eyes only seconds ago. The intruder brandished a huge sword that looked more like a club and struck the scientist, sending his corpse rolling end over end until it crashed into a wall.  
That was when the trespasser saw me. His sword in his hand, the silhouetted figure approached the glass casing I floated in and rested his free hand against it. He narrowed his eyes and stared directly into mine.  
There was no mistaking who he was. The sword in his hand was enough, but if that didn't give it away, the Mako in his eyes did.  
The Mako had its own eerie glow, but in his eyes, there was something else; an unmistakable craze that was my own fault, my own making.  
He stared at me for a moment longer before stepping away from me and lifting his blade to his shoulder, the end of it only inches from the glass, angled at my chest.  
He was going to kill me.

**THE END**


End file.
